Time for Anthony Albanese to call out anti-Semitic and violent vibe of student protests

The flag of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, centre, was seen flying at the University of Queensland in Brisbane this week.

The chilling sound of children chanting ‘intifada” proves that pro-Palestinian student protests are far from pacifist.

Rather than calling for a ceasefire or demanding Israel stop bombing Gaza, these protesters want Israel wiped from the map.

Anthony Albanese and Education Minister Jason Clare must call out the anti-Semitic and violent vibes of the growing student protest movement.

University chancellors have squibbed on calling out anti-Semitism, declaring that university managers have “policies, procedures and sanctions in place to allow for academic freedom and freedom of expression across our campuses’’.

Primary school kids wrapped in Palestinian flags, as well as teenagers wearing their school uniforms, were among 200 protesters who brought Brisbane’s CBD to a standstill for half an hour yesterday.

Bearing the provocative banner “From the River to the Sea’’ – a slogan that signifies Israel’s annihilation – they called for an end to genocide in Gaza.

Their right to protest, and the right to free speech, are pillars of our free democracy and it is a rite of passage for the young to protest to change the world.

The carnage in Gaza, where Israel has been bombarding Palestinian civilians daily in retaliation for the barbaric Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 last year, must be stopped.

These pro-Palestinian protests, however, are a call to violence against Israel and use the language of hate.

“In-ti-fa-da!” the Brisbane protesters chanted, as if it was a fun slogan at a rock concert.

This is an Arab word meaning “uprising’’, and for Israelis it signifies deadly terror attacks that culminated in Hamas slaughtering and kidnapping 1200 Israelis – including young people at a concert – on October 7.

It’s as offensive and threatening as marching with the Nazi swastika symbol.

A woman tears down Gaza posters on her way to the a protest by Jewish Israel supporters near the University of Melbourne. Picture: Jason Edwards

US President Joe Biden has called on protesters to stop using the term, declaring that “hate speech and hate symbols have no place in America’’.

Likewise, “from the river to the sea’’ is a Hamas call to arms, demanding the establishment of a state of Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea – without Israel in the middle.

At the University of Queensland, pro-Palestinian activists hung the flag of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a terrorist group that operates through suicide bombings, plane hijackings and kidnappings.

By extension, these protests look like anti-Semitic attacks on Jewish Australians, who no longer feel safe in our schools or universities.

Palestinian activists must stop using school children as props for their protests, and fodder for their social media feeds.

Protests can swiftly turn violent, and they’re no place for children who should be safe at school.