Hello friends and welcome to the new weekly Radio Reversal podcast!
In case you missed it, we're undergoing something of a transformation here at Radio Reversal. Our weekly radio program on 4zzz has been picked up for national syndication via the Community Radio Network, and we're taking the opportunity to move to a weekly podcast.
We'll still be producing the longer stand-alone series that we've been working on over the past few years, but in addition to them, you'll also be able to get your weekly dose of warm-hearted political education right here each week! We'll be editing down each week's live program into an easily-digestible podcast for your listening pleasure, and we've moved off substack and spotify and onto our own site here at ghost (to try and divest as much as possible from platforms that earn their profits from enabling neo-Nazis and white supremacists.)
This week's podcast offers a bit of background to help understand the new Fighting Antisemitism & Keeping Guns out of the Hands of Terrorists and Criminals Amendment Acts, which were passed into law in March this year. To understand what these laws (and the other federal laws that have been introduced since 2023) mean for pro-Palestine action, we're sharing a conversation between Justice for Palestine Magan-djin organiser Phil Monsour, lawyer and legal activist Anna Reynolds from Action Ready Qld, and Palestinian lawyer and legal observer Rouba Rayan. This conversation was recorded by Radio Reverser Roshan at the most recent Justice for Palestine Magan-djin public meeting in March this year. In this discussion, Phil, Rouba and Anna discuss the recent amendments to Queensland's Criminal Code and a swathe of new police powers introduced under the guise of "combatting anti-semitism" both here in queensland and federally. They get across the new "prohibited expressions" in the criminal code, and what these new offences mean in terms of expanded police search powers in Queensland and beyond.
Listen to the Radio Reversal podcast here, or wherever you get your podcasts.
We're releasing this episode today in solidarity with Justice for Palestine Magan-djin and a coalition of other groups who are kicking off a week of action as part of the Not Our Laws campaign here in Queensland. Activists across the state are finding novel ways to contest these laws and to build community pressure to repeal the most egregious sections of this legislation. Check out Justice for Palestine Magan-djin's linktree below for some of the ways you can support the Not Our Laws campaign:
If you've been trying to get your head around some of the state and federal laws implemented over the past few years and their impact on pro-Palestinian protest, have a listen! We'll be continuing these conversations over the next few months as we learn more about these draconian laws and how they'll be implemented in practice, so make sure you subscribe to the podcast if you want regular updates on what the heck is going on here in the sunshine state. And in the meantime, keep your ears open for next week's episode of the Radio Reversal podcast where I'll be talking with Gungarri academic, writer and mother, Dr. Raylene Nixon, about her family's ongoing campaign for justice and accountability for her son, Stevie-Lee Nixon McKellar, who was killed by police while sitting, unarmed, in a parked car on the driveway of his Aunty's house in Toowoomba in 2021. It's a harrowing story and an ongoing fight, and yet another reminder of the violent reality of policing in the colony. Follow https://www.instagram.com/justice4stevielee/ for updates and stay tuned for next week's conversation.
And of course! A reminder that we're kicking off this new adventure in weekly podcasting with a call for support! If you're a long time listener and you'd like to support the work we do, please consider signing up for a paid subscription. We know times are tight, but we promise to make the very most of your contributions by continuing to bring radical, warm-hearted political education to your inbox every week (and if you sign up for a paid subscription in April, we'll send you a sweet little intro pack with stickers, zines and Radio Reversal merch from the past few years!)
Til then, yours in the struggle!
Anna (for the Radio Reversal collective)
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