• FistingEnthusiast@lemmy.world
    4525·
    4 days ago

    I take issue with the way this is being presented

    She was cautioned, so no criminal conviction or anything, let alone two years in jail

    To pretend that Australia is anything like the US is disingenuous. There are people who want everyone to give up protesting, framing things like this doesn’t help

    I’m grateful to live in Australia (admittedly, I’m not fond of Queensland, where this article is from as it’s our version of Florida) rather than the hellscape that is 'Murica

    • zero_gravitas@aussie.zoneEnglish
      75·
      4 days ago

      She was arrested and charged, and took the option of accepting a formal caution, which requires that you don’t deny committing the offence. If she hadn’t taken that option, she’d still be facing charges (and gaol time).

      The other guy who was arrested for speaking the words is still facing charges, so far as I know.

      From the Guardian’s coverage, though, it seems likely his actions will be covered by the ‘reasonable excuse’ provisions of the law. It seems clear he said it in order to educate the crowd and make a political argument against the laws, and even to discourage the crowd from saying it:

      “I’m not sure if everybody here [knows] the history of the different slogans that the government is trying to ban us from saying, so [in] the interests of education, I want to explain [it] to you,” he said at the protest.

      He went on to deny that the phrase was terroristic or antisemitic, saying it was instead a call for freedom and dignity of the people between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea.

      “So when we say, from the river to the sea, we are calling for the freedom of the people of Palestine,” he said.

      He discouraged others from chanting the slogan.

      Moments later, as protesters started to march, he was arrested.

    • dreadbeef@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      1112·
      3 days ago

      I wish one day I could drink as much nationalist kool aid as you to think Australia is a single entity or America is a single entity or any nation is a single entity woth a single set of values or a single set of ideals or a single set of principles.

      This is called nationalism and is modern invention. You can choose to not participate but school is designed to make you believe you have more in common with the white guy a hundred kilometers away in a part of your nation you have never once visited than the indigenous person or the immigrant down the road. This is a lie.

      You identify with the social norms of the dominant ethnic group of the land called Australia. Let me rewrite part of your comment:

      “To pretend white people in Australia are anything like the white people in the US is disingenuous. There are white people who want to give up protesting, framing things like this doesn’t help”

      Ah there we go. Now we can finally understand your position.

      I am so sorry white people are feeling sad in those places. I promise you the white people in australia and the white people in america have tons in common.