Queensland Bans Pro-Palestine Chant, Sparks Debate

0:00It's April 18th, from your city to your ears. This is Sydney News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story. Queensland Police arrested 20 people at a Brisbane protest on Saturday after folks chanted the band phrase from the river to the sea. That's 14 charges for displaying it and seven for reciting it out loud, with penalties up to two years behind bars. The day before, hundreds pulled off a flashmob singing John Farnham's two strong hearts, which has lyrics like reaching out forever like a river to the sea. No arrests there, just a bold test of the new rules. Police called the Saturday rally mostly peaceful, but tensions run high. Conservative groups labeled the phrase antisemitic, while supporters see it as a push for Palestinian rights, not anti-Jewish hate. Queensland rolled out the band in February amid civil liberties backlash. Other cases hit a man for chanting it in March and an 18-year-old for wearing it on her shirt. Meanwhile, New South Wales' eyes banning globalized the Intifada Post that deadly bond-i-beach

1:05shooting. The speech crackdowns keep sparking fierce debates on freedom versus safety across Australia.