Protesters arrested for using phrases banned under new Queensland hate speech laws
A man and woman have been arrested for using a banned phrase, deemed antisemitic by the Queensland government, at a protest in Brisbane.
It is the first time someone in the state has been arrested over the recently banned expressions.
Protesters had gathered outside state parliament on Wednesday afternoon as part of a nationwide student strike for Palestine.
Police said a man and woman had been arrested following the "unauthorised protest" .
The 33-year-old man was arrested at Speakers Corner shortly after 12:30pm.
The phrases were often heard at pro-Palestinian protests around Queensland. (ABC News: Liana Walker)
He has been issued with a Notice to Appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on April 8 for the offence of recital, distribution, publication or display of prohibited expressions.
Officers later arrested an 18-year-old woman at King George Square.
Police said she was charged and given an adult caution.
In footage seen by the ABC, the 33-year-old man uses the phrase "from the river to the sea" while the 18-year-old woman has the same phrase painted on a singlet.
The phrases "from the river to the sea" and "globalise the intifada" had been outlawed in Queensland when used to menace or offend someone.
The new laws, passed in state parliament last week, included both written and spoken use of phrases, such as chants or placards at a protest, with penalties of up to two years in prison.
A spokesperson for the Student For Palestine UQ, Ella Gutteridge, said the arrests showed the laws were about "silencing".
Police investigations remain ongoing.