Public use of pro-Palestine chants like “globalise the intifada” and “from the river to the sea” will be criminalised, with potential imprisonment.

The Queensland government will introduce reforms that criminalise antisemitism and hate speech, with tougher penalties for displaying symbols such as swastikas, Nazi emblems, Hamas and Islamic State flags, and Hezbollah symbols.

Penalties for assaulting or threatening religious ceremony officials will rise to up to five years, and up to three years for impeding or harassing people at religious services.

The reforms have earned support from the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, whose president welcomed them as a practical step to protect Jewish Queenslanders and other targeted groups.

The bill was developed with input from the Crime and Corruption Commission, the Human Rights Commission, and Queensland police, and is set to be introduced to parliament after its public announcement.

Opposition multicultural affairs spokeswoman Charis Mullen signaled Labor would support considered anti-Semitism laws and would closely review the proposals.

The bill is due to be tabled in parliament within the week, with broader context noting Victoria’s stronger hate speech laws as a benchmark.

The announcement comes ahead of a planned visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, which has drawn both supportive and critical responses and planned protests across the country, including in Brisbane.

The legislation, to be introduced in the Queensland Parliament in the coming week, follows Queensland’s rejection of a federal gun buyback scheme after the December Bondi terror attack that left fifteen dead.

The reforms are framed as a calm, considered response to the Bondi attack, with the premier saying they are the best of their kind in the country.

Places of worship would receive enhanced protections under the new laws, aiming to safeguard religious sites from harassment and intimidation.

Officials emphasise the offensive nature and intent to incite hatred in slogans, naming phrases like “globalise the intifada” and “from the river to the sea” for proscription.