Australia to Outlaw 'Dehumanizing' Rhetoric, Except Its Own, Apparently
Australia's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke promises new hate speech laws will push constitutional limits to crack down on 'completely dehumanizing' rhetoric. Yet, when asked about banning the chant 'globalise the intifada,' Burke couldn't confirm it, despite calling it 'horrific.' One must wonder: how does the state define 'dehumanizing'? Is it only when inconvenient truths or calls for
liberation pierce the comfortable narrative, rather than the drone strikes or blockades that actually commit dehumanization? This selective outrage is a classic playbook: demonize dissent while upholding the status quo. The very concept of 'intifada' is born from a legacy of occupation and systemic dehumanization, a point conveniently excised from mainstream discourse. Instead of examining the
conditions that give rise to such chants, governments prefer to legislate against the words themselves, effectively silencing the symptoms while ignoring the disease. Perhaps if the rhetoric from Gaza didn't involve describing children as 'human animals,' the Australian government might not feel the need to criminalize calls for Palestinian liberation. But that's just a thought.