One day, everyone will have always been against Israel’s genocide in Gaza – Omar El Akkad.
BRIGIDINE College in Indooroopilly, Brisbane, has stood down a music teacher for composing an instrumental piece called River to the Sea. The Catholic school did so after Kellee Green won a Queensland music award for this piece.
The pro-Israel Lord Mayor, Adrian Schinner, immediately suspended Brisbane City Council funding for the Queensland Music Awards after Kellee Green, won the jazz category.
Kellee explained her reasons for writing the jazz piece: “Our own government is complicit in war crimes by supporting Israel both in words and actions by allowing the export of weapons and weapon parts to Israel to directly kill innocent Palestinian men, women, and children.” – Kelle Green.
When I went to Brigidine Convent at Indooroopilly from 1955-1958. And then to Nudgee College 1959-1963 and finally to St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace 1964-1967. These catholic schools taught a sense of social justice. However they were superficial and discrimated against people like the Palestinians. Was this because of religious and racist bias? I suspect so.
The sacking of Kellee Green may indicate there is still a systemic problem at Catholic schools generally and at the Brigidines in particular, especially given the school has on another social justice issue. Who is going to educate the educators?
The Brigidine nuns believe in social justice, so why is the school attacking Kellee Green for supporting a free Palestine? Sister Brigid in Melbourne supports the refugees. The Palestinians form one of the largest and longest refugee diaspora in history. The college at Indooroopilly needs to reinstate Kellee Green.
For this to happen, the social justice programs at Catholic schools are superficial and discrimate against Palestinians on religious and racist lines?
“If artists use their practice and platform to draw attention to these historic crimes, and express their solidarity with the people enduring these atrocities, they deserve be celebrated for their courage, alongside their musical talent.” – Jamal Nabulsi, Research Fellow – Voice and Belonging, Griffith Centre for Social Cultural Research.
Here is the piece composed by Kellee Green,
Winner of Queensland music award in the jazz category
Ian Curr 31 March 2025
No way she doesn’t know the meaning of the terrorist slogan “from the river to the sea”. Her song has inspired the extermination of Jews from the river to the Australian sea now.
Very happy to hear that Kellee Green has retained her job!
Thanks to everyone who signed in support, shared messages etc. Kellee’s job should never have been under threat but that is the state of the world now where employers are more concerned with people speaking out against war than wars themselves
“If you are more worried about disruptive students being a bit noisy and untidy on campus, and using words that make you uncomfortable than you are about actual violence, genocide, the destruction of entire universities, targeting professors, and the genocide of civilians in Gaza then you do not stand for the kind of university I believe in.” – Peter Slezak’s speech to the University of Technology Sydney rally on 26 March 2025
