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Seven people have been arrested and charged at a pro-Palestine rally in Brisbane’s CBD, including an activist recently detained by Israeli forces, as protesters vow to continue challenging the legality of the Crisafulli government’s hate speech laws.
Brisbane-based Indigenous activist Sam Woripa Watson was among 11 Australians aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces last month while trying to deliver aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
Addressing the crowd of about 300 in Brisbane’s King George Square on Sunday, Watson described being abused by Israeli Defence Forces, before using one of two phrases outlawed by the Crisafulli government in March.
“So when I say ‘from the river to the sea’ Palestine should be free, I mean that I have seen firsthand what the occupation does, and I think that it should not be allowed to continue,” Watson said.
Dozens of police marched through the crowd and arrested Watson shortly after he exited the stage.
He was the first of seven people arrested at the event for using the banned phrase, with tensions between police and protesters boiling over on several occasions.
During one arrest, police shoved an elderly man and a protester to the ground as they attempted to push the crowd back and enforce a human barricade.
Protesters were heard shouting “shame” and “this is not a police state”.
Police said in a statement that they acknowledged the “overall peaceful behaviour of protesters in Brisbane City today” but confirmed that “seven people were charged with recital, distribution, publication or display of prohibited expressions”.
The rally, organised by Justice for Palestine Magandjin, called for people to participate in a “mass civil disobedience” to test Queensland police’s enforcement of the government’s hate speech and antisemitism laws.
Group spokesperson Remah Naji said while more than 25 Queenslanders have been arrested since the legislation was introduced in March, Queensland police had not acted when banned phrases were used at a recent event.
“So we might see things like [Premier David] Crisafulli ordering the Queensland police to not enact these laws, to not arrest people, simply because we have a strong case that is going to be lodged in the High Court,” she said.
“Or maybe the Queensland Police know these laws are a joke … so today we’re going to test these laws again.”
Justice for Palestine Magandjin have described the Crisafulli government’s laws as “absurd” and vowed to challenge them in the High Court on the basis that they are “invalid” under the Australian constitution.
At a press conference on Sunday ahead of the rally, Crisafulli said the group’s continued use of banned phrases incited violence and called for the eradication of a group of people, a claim pro-Palestine supporters have strongly rebuked.
“There’s nothing stopping them criticising a regime,” Crisafulli said.
“We just don’t want them to use the two phrases that have been singled out as the hatred that allowed what came onto the shores of Bondi. That’s all that’s being asked.”
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