Campaign by Daily Telegraph demands cancellation of our forum on ‘Globalise the Intifada’ slogan ban

The Daily Telegraph is running a campaign demanding the cancellation of the venue hire for our forum ‘Why it’s right to say Globalise the Intifada’ on Tuesday 5 May. The slogan ‘Globalise the Intifada’ is a call for global solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.

NSW Premier Chris Minns wants to ban the slogan. This is part of an attempt to smear supporters of Palestine and silence criticism of Israel. But there is nothing antisemitic about opposing Israel’s war crimes and genocide in Gaza, or its apartheid policies in the West Bank.

This comes after 20 people were arrested in Brisbane last weekend over Queensland’s laws banning Palestine slogans ‘From the River to the Sea’ and ‘Globalise the Intifada’.

Intifada is an Arabic word that means ‘uprising’ or ‘throwing off oppression’. It was used to describe the two mass Palestinian uprisings against Israel’s illegal military occupation, the First Intifada from 1987 and the Second Intifada from 2000, and symbolises the Palestinian struggle for justice in the face of genocide and apartheid.

It is not a call for violence—it is a call to end the violence of Israel’s occupation and genocide. The Palestinian intifadas involved mass protests, strikes and boycott campaigns supported by almost the whole of the Palestinian population.

Daily Telegraph editor Ben English claims it “has been invoked” by terrorists to justify attacks, “including here in Sydney” in the Bondi attack. This is a complete fiction. The slogan has nothing to do with the Bondi attack and there is no suggestion it was used by the two attackers.

Despite running four articles and a video attacking our event the paper has not even bothered to approach the organisers for comment.

Israel is a state responsible for systematic war crimes. Its apartheid policies are shown by its new execution law that will apply only to Palestinians in special military courts, which run a sham system of justice with conviction rates of over 99 per cent. Meanwhile Israeli settlers in the West Bank murder Palestinians with impunity.

Israel’s genocide in Gaza continues, as its kills Palestinians every week and blocks entry of adequate food and basic medical supplies in breach of the ceasefire agreement.

This is why we need to ‘Globalise the Intifada’, through a mass movement demanding justice for Palestine and an end to the complicity of the Australian government in Israel’s crimes. Our government is still refusing to impose serious sanctions on Israel and allowing the export of weapons parts, intelligence sharing from Pine Gap, and welcomed Israel’s President in February. 

Our forum is designed to discuss what it means to Globalise the Intifada and why we should oppose the effort to ban Palestine protest slogans.

Daily Telegraph articles

Outrage as City of Sydney council venue hosts ‘Globalise the Intifada’ event (archived  

Politicians refuse to intervene to stop ‘globalise the intifada’ forum at City of Sydney venue (archived)

Daily Telegraph ‘Editor’s update’ reel on Instagram