Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson Pledges Ban on “Globalise the Intifada” Phrase

At a rally in Melbourne’s Caulfield Shule on October 25, 2026, opposition leader Jess Wilson announced that, if a Coalition government wins the November state election, her party will criminalise the slogan “Globalise the intifada.” Wilson linked the phrase to a surge in antisemitic incidents, including the December 2023 Bondi Beach massacre that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration. She framed the ban as part of a broader “move on” agenda that would require protest permits and cut public funding to groups she says promote antisemitism.

The Sydney Morning Herald

The term “intifada” is Arabic for “uprising” and has been used both for peaceful civil disobedience and violent attacks. A NSW parliamentary inquiry, launched after the Bondi massacre, recommended a ban only when the phrase is used to incite hatred, harassment, intimidation or violence. The Queensland legislation is currently being challenged in the High Court, and constitutional scholars warn it may conflict with Australia’s implied freedom of political communication.

The Sydney Morning Herald

Wilson told the audience that normalized hatred such as “All Zionists are terrorists” and “Globalise the intifada” leads to violence like the Bondi attack. She pledged that a Coalition government would expand bans on speech that amounts to incitement to violence and withdraw taxpayer funding from organisations she says promote antisemitism. NSW Premier Chris Minns indicated he would also ban the phrase if Queensland’s laws survive the court challenge.

The Sydney Morning Herald

Professor Anne Twomey, a leading constitutional expert, warned that banning specific political slogans would likely be struck down for breaching the implied freedom of political communication.

The Sydney Morning Herald

• “When governments, at both a state and a federal level, allow hatred like ‘All Zionists are terrorists’, and ‘Globalise the intifada’, to be spewed and normalised on our streets, at our universities and online, Bondi is the result,” — Jess Wilson

The Sydney Morning Herald