Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner dramatically announced that the Brisbane City Council was withdrawing support for the Queensland Music Awards, hosted by QMusic, accusing the organisation of celebrating hate speech. Musician Kellee Green won the Jazz Award for her instrumental composition ‘River to Sea’.Â
The title and composition is a direct reference to the phrase ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’, common among Pro-Palestinian activists. The controversial phrase is touted by pro-Israeli activists as a war cry demanding the abolition of the state of Israel. Pro-Palestinian activists say it’s a statement reclaiming their homeland.
