Extremism charge against former On Dit student editor Habibah Jaghoori dropped as she uses anti-Semitic slogan outside court

The ex-editor of Adelaide Uni’s student magazine has used what some consider an anti-Semitic slogan on the courtroom steps – moments after her extremism charge was dropped.

Habibah Jaghoori comes out of court to applause from pro-Palestinian supporters, after having charges against her dropped. Picture: Dean Martin

A controversial former Adelaide Uni magazine editor has ranted outside court using a slogan considered by some to be anti-Semitic after an extremism charge against her was dropped.

On Tuesday, Habibah Jaghoori, 26, of Cowandilla, appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court before Chief Magistrate Mary-Louise Hribal charged with producing or distributing extremist material.

During the hearing, the charge against Ms Jaghoori was dropped by police prosecution.

Ms Jaghoori, who says she is “anti-Zionist, but not anti-Jew”, then left the court building to applause from a crowd of pro-Palestinian supporters carrying a sign that reads “resistance is a human right”.

During a speech on the court steps to her supporters she claimed the “bogus” charge was a “Zionist and police intimidation tactic”, she used a slogan seen as anti-Semitic.

“Free Palestine all the way from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. It is not a slogan, it’s a promise that I intend on keeping,” she said.

The phrase is considered to refer to establishing a Palestinian state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, arguably inconsistent with Jews having the state of Israel.

“Today the police withdrew their charges … I’m very pleased that justice has prevailed,” Ms Jaghoori said.

“I am not ashamed of my activism for Palestine, and I will continue to be an activist, I will continue to do everything within my capacity to stand up for oppressed groups all around the world.

“Zionism is a political ideology that breed genocide and hatred and ethnic cleansing.”

Supporters filmed and took photos as Ms Jaghoori addressed her supporters. Picture: Dean Martin

As On Dit magazine editor in August 2022, Ms Jaghoori caused controversy when she wrote an article that included the phrase “death to Israel”.

The student union voted to have her removed from the four-person editorial team, and stated at the time she was dumped for her “conduct and behaviour” post publication and not for the article itself.

Ms Jaghoori, left, marching down North Tce to protest for Palestine on March 14. Picture: Brett Hartwig

The phrase has been seen across Adelaide in recent months during Pro-Palestinian protests, in a school mural and outside Trinity Gardens Primary School during Dunstan by-election polling on Saturday.

Ms Jaghoori later told The Advertiser the slogan “meant that from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean Sea Palestine will be a Palestinian state with equal rights for everyone.

“It means that Israeli apartheid should be eradicated. It means that Palestine should regain all of its usurped land.”

Executive director of Zionism Victoria Zeddy Lawrence said the slogan has been more commonly used since the Hamas-led October 2023 attacks and conveyed the idea Israel should be “wiped out”.

“I would say most Jews accept there should be a two-state solution ... saying ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ is effectively saying there shouldn’t be a Jewish state,” Mr Lawrence said.

The term ‘Zionist’ has also been commonly misunderstood, he said.

“Everyone says Zionism equals racism and Zionism is about genocide and persecuting the Palestinians and it’s absolutely not,” he said.

“It means that you believe Jews are entitled to have a homeland where Israel is, no more no less.

“I would be more than happy to live side by side with a friendly Palestinian neighbour ... we just need the rhetoric and the antagonism from the extremists to be sidelined so the moderate people who just want to live together in peace can do just that.”

Originally published as Extremism charge against former On Dit student editor Habibah Jaghoori dropped as she uses anti-Semitic slogan outside court