Pro-Palestine slogan could ignite violence in Australia

Anthony Albanese has agreed with former ASIO boss Dennis Richardson that the chant ‘from the river to the sea’ is a violent statement that does not belong in Australia.

Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg will present a Sky News documentary on anti-Semitism called Never Again in late May.

One of the nation’s leading security and intelligence experts, Dennis Richardson, has warned the chant “from the river to the sea” being used at pro-Palestine protests is a “very violent statement” that poses dangers to Australian communities – a position backed by Anthony Albanese.

The former ASIO chief has also warned that statements of violence against Israel had the potential to “very easily flow over into actions of violence against communities” within Australia.

The comments from Mr Richardson, who previously headed up the Department of Defence and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, come amid growing social tensions over the unfolding Middle East conflict and the emergence of pro-Palestine encampments at Australian universities.

Former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg, one of the nation’s leading Jewish figures, spoke to Mr Richardson for his Sky News documentary to be aired later this month and described his comments as a “major intervention in the current debate.”

“It makes the position adopted by many of our university leaders to these slogans and protests untenable,” Mr Frydenberg said. “It is a warning from Australia’s foremost security and intelligence expert that the slogans and protests we are seeing daily on our campuses and streets are dangerous.”

“They are not without consequence as Richardson makes clear.”

In the documentary – titled “Never Again: The Fight Against anti-Semitism” – Mr Frydenberg interviews the Prime Minister who acknowledges that the chant “from the river to the sea” is an extremely violent statement that has no place on Australia’s streets.

Mr Albanese was this week forced to overrule his Education Minister Jason Clare’s characterisation of the anti-Israel chant “from the river to the sea”.

Speaking on Monday, Mr Albanese said the statement was opposed to a two-state ­solution for Israel and Palestine – a long-held government position.

The day before, Mr Clare said calls for “intifada” and chants of “from the river to the sea” could mean different things to different groups.

“I’ve seen people say that those words mean the annihilation of Israel,” Mr Clare said. “I’ve seen people say that it means the opposite. I’ve seen people say they’re slogans Israeli political parties have used.”

In his interview with Mr Albanese to be broadcast later this month, Mr Frydenberg put to the Prime Minister the view of Mr Richardson that the statement “from the river to the sea” was a violent one.

“It is,” Mr Albanese said.

“And so it has no place on our streets,” Mr Frydenberg said.

“I agree,” Mr Albanese said.

While the documentary will be shown in coming weeks, Mr Frydenberg made fresh comments on Tuesday night signalling his support for greater leadership to remove the pro-Palestine encampments that have emerged at Australian university campuses.

“We have waited too long for strong action by our leaders so now is the time they must step up and clamp down on these violent slogans and protests,” he said. “The Prime Minister has rightly made clear what should happen across the country.”

“It’s now up to him, university leaders and law enforcement to make it happen. These cannot be idle words by the Prime Minister. They must be words that are followed by action.”

The Australian revealed on Tuesday that Mr Frydenberg believed that university leaders were being derelict in their duties by appeasing anti-Israel protesters and refusing to clean away their encampments.