Seven activists and artists have launched a High Court challenge against Queensland laws criminalising the public use of the slogans “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada”. The ban covers spoken and written uses, including protest chants, signs and artworks, and carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison. In court documents, they contend that neither phrase has a single, fixed meaning and point to interpretations associated with Palestinian identity, equality and self-determination. Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies president Jason Steinberg has backed the ban, saying the slogans have made many Jewish Queenslanders feel unsafe in public. The laws will remain in force while the High Court challenge proceeds.