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March 28, 2026 \u2014 3:32pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n James Hillier\u2019s work has landed in places he could have never imagined when first turning to art professionally a decade ago. The largest billboard in Times Square<\/a>, the cover of an Elton John and Britney Spears CD<\/a>, a mug in the hands of the prime minister<\/a>.<\/p>\n The latest, however, is a much more serious turn: the sights of the Queensland Police Service, under state laws passed this month banning the use of two pro-Palestinian phrases. And he\u2019s not alone.<\/p>\n Hillier was opening the art and design store he also works at on Brisbane\u2019s north on Wednesday and noticed a missed call from the police. Dialling back, he was told he\u2019d been the subject of a complaint alleging a breach of the laws.<\/p>\n \u201cThey made some requests that I remove [website artwork] listings so that I\u2019m in compliance. I spoke to legal counsel and complied with their requests as I continue to get legal advice,\u201d Hillier told this masthead by phone on Saturday.<\/p>\n Brisbane-based Hillier, under the moniker Nordacious, produces pop-art inspired illustrations across themes and figures of celebrity, social justice and Australiana. As a result, recent global events have drawn him to the Palestinian cause.<\/p>\n Related Article While the David Crisafulli-led Queensland LNP government<\/a>, and some major Jewish groups and figures, have deemed the banned phrases (\u201cfrom the river to the sea\u201d and \u201cglobalise the intifada\u201d) antisemitic and a call to \u201cslaughter Jews\u201d, this is not a blanket view.<\/p>\n Others, including other sections of the Jewish community<\/a>, view the phrases \u2013 particularly the former \u2013 as part of calls for an end to freedom from oppression<\/a>, illegal occupation<\/a> and alleged genocide of Palestinian people by Israel<\/a>.<\/p>\n As the government pushed its controversial proposed ban through the single house of parliament and committee system it controls, Hillier honed in on this and the \u201criver to the sea\u201d phrase in a series of three illustrations from early February.<\/p>\n In social media posts on Friday night<\/a>, including to his almost 50,000 Instagram followers, Hillier said it was listings for products featuring these three works which he had removed from his website after the call from police.<\/p>\n One depicts Crisafulli<\/a> wearing a tie featuring the Star of David pressing down on a protest placard situated on a map of the state adorned with the words \u201cfrom Brisbane River to Moreton Bay: I\u2019ll decide what you can say\u201d.<\/p>\n Another utilises imagery of John Farnham<\/a>, a portion of the lyrics from his 1988 song Two Strong Hearts which features the words \u201criver to the sea\u201d, and a slice of watermelon \u2013 a common Palestinian symbol which shares colours with its flag.<\/p>\n The third depicts the arrest of 18-year-old Bonnie Carter<\/a> in the singlet bearing the \u201cfrom the river to the sea\u201d phrase she was wearing at a small protest outside parliament house in the hours after the ban took effect on March 11.<\/p>\n While Carter escaped with a caution, a second person arrested and charged by police that day<\/a> \u2013 33-year-old Liam Parry \u2013 will face court on April 8 for the offence of reciting, distributing, or publicly displaying a prohibited expression.<\/p>\n The offence, which criminalises use of the phrases or similar wording where the conduct could be \u201creasonably be expected to make a member of the public feel menaced, harassed or offended\u201d carries a maximum penalty of two years jail.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n There are \u201creasonable excuses\u201d including artistic, religious, educational, historical, legal, law enforcement and public interest \u2013 such as news reporting \u2013 for using the phrases, but the burden of proof rests with the person charged.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not an antisemitic person. I loathe bigotry with every fibre of my being. Everything I do comes from a place of deep empathy for other people,\u201d Hillier said over the phone.<\/p>\n \u201cMy desire is to see \u2026 international law upheld, human rights upheld, and freedom of speech to be restored to Queensland so that people can freely advocate for other people\u2019s human rights without being treated like a criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n Hillier has not taken down social media posts with the illustrations, which he said he was not told to. \u201cBut they made it clear \u2026 if I do post on social media or elsewhere online moving forward, then that would be considered a breach,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In a statement, police said they were investigating a complaint around the \u201creference of prohibited expressions featured on artwork displayed online\u201d.<\/p>\n After Sydney-based street artist Scott Marsh shared images of a new mural in South Brisbane also depicting Farnham, the phrase \u201criver to the sea\u201d and a watermelon, police said \u201cfurther inquiries\u201d were also being conducted there.<\/p>\n \u201cInvestigations into the matters are ongoing,\u201d police said, noting incidents involving antisemitism were treated as criminal matters and investigated thoroughly to \u201ctake appropriate action to hold offenders accountable\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe QPS strongly condemn anyone who incites hatred within our community \u2013 there is no place for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Reached by phone while travelling back to Sydney, Marsh told this masthead he was yet to be contacted by police.<\/p>\n Hillier was also yet to hear of any further police action, such as warrants to seize items \u2013 as seen in use of the laws around a \u201cfrom the river to the sea, come get us Crisafulli\u201d banner at a Greenslopes catholic activist house<\/a> last week.<\/p>\n \u201cThe impression I got was that, especially after I consulted with legal counsel, that that could be a consequence for me as well if I didn\u2019t comply,\u201d Hillier said.<\/p>\n No charges have been laid in the Greenslopes case. A third person charged with the new offence after a protest at an Albert Street address in the CBD on March 18, a 70-year-old Ocean View man, is due to appear in court on April 14.<\/p>\n In additional written comments to this masthead, Hillier said satire, political commentary and protest art were foundational elements of a healthy democracy.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what political art looks like \u2026 That should alarm everyone, regardless of where they sit politically,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat scares me most isn\u2019t what\u2019s happening to me specifically. It\u2019s the precedent. These laws are, pretty clearly, being used as a mechanism to silence advocacy for Palestinians.\u201d<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"Brisbane](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ee7901c6afab75cc601a15e1f37b29e0837e37a24bb12f89f1d590a76756c79a.jpeg\")
Brisbane artist James Hillier, who uses the moniker \u201cNordacious\u201d, has pulled items from his online store featuring variations on the pro-Palestinian phrase \u201cfrom the river to the sea\u201d.Nordacious (aka James Hillier) \/ Supplied<\/p>\n![\"Protesters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0ac8a7bd18bf3ee30c787f7a29be84a2a5421cf930157a068ced3d79500b5ebd.jpeg\")
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Matt Dennien<\/a> is a reporter at Brisbane Times covering state politics and the public service. He has previously worked for newspapers in Tasmania and Brisbane community radio station 4ZZZ. Contact him securely on Signal @mattdennien.15Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners