The bridge colours

On 8 October 2023, Adrian Schrinner ordered the Story Bridge bridge to be awash with the Israeli colours.

When the Lord Mayor of Brisbane lit up council assets in the colours of Israel, he created a narrative based on time and place. The place was the iconic Story Bridge that has linked north to south sides of the Maiwar (Brisbane River) since the 1940s. Schrinner posted on Facebook: “Brisbane’s thoughts and prayers are with Israel. The Story Bridge will be lit blue and white in solidarity with our friends in Israel and Brisbane’s Jewish community tonight.” – Adrian Schrinner, 8 October 2023.

During the ensuing two years, Israel wiped out 10% of the population of Gaza, reducing this heart land of Palestine to rubble. When Falasteen community organisation asked the Lord Mayor to respect the fallen Palestinians, he said he would not light the bridge in the Palestinian colours only in the colours of peace, which he claimed to be white.

AS the building of the Story Bridge over the Brisbane River progresses, the large structure begins to add a new and distinctive note to the city skyline, and photographers will find many new angles for inclusion of the bridge in pictures of the city. In this view the southern superstructure is presented showing the buildings of Kangaroo Point in 1938.

So Justice for Palestine Magan-djin (JFP) set about making an alternative narrative to that of the Christian zionists represented by the Lord Mayor. JFP adopted the symbolism of the Palestinian flag. Black represents dark times, White is for peace, Green is the fertile lands of Palestine, and Red is the blood of 200,000 martyrs who have lost their lives since 7 October to 2023.

I can think of no mayor in the Western world (except maybe the mayors of Dublin and of New York)  who would adopt this alternative narrative. With some notable exceptions like Barcelona, Naples, and Genoa, most European mayors are pro-Israel. For example, the mayors of Berlin, Nice, and Frankfurt are all pro Israel. You could probably add to that list Zurich, Geneva, Zug, and various how the Swiss local governments. Many of these had Nazi sympathies during World War II.

Story Bridge march/walk for Palestine, at last

Thanks to pressure from the weekly ‘bike bus’ rides over the Story Bridge there has been a lot of focus over the incompetence of the Brisbane City Council currently run by the Liberal National Party, should I say Christian fundamentalist party. The LNP fundamentalists even stirred the Maori Destiny church into action on the northern side of the bridge to attack the Palestinian flag bearers as we came through. There plan was thwarted by delicate negotiations between Justice for Palestine Magan-djin and the police. What a bizarre misuse of the Maori haka funded by corrupt Christian missionary Brian Tamaki using hundreds of thousands of New Zealand government funding.

WBT suspect that the Justice for Palestine Magan-djin campaign to march the Story Bridge put extra pressure on Council to open the bridge.

A big shout out to workers from the Brisbane City Council who have repaired and opened up both footpaths (city and new farm sides) on the Story Bridge that are now open to cyclists, e-scooter riders, and pedestrians.

On a reconnaissance of the bridge at 4 pm and later at 7.30 pm  Friday 14th November, both footpaths were almost empty even though there were heaps of people in the Valley.

The only communist ever elected to an Australian Parliament, Fred Patterson, was arrested for sedition near the Robbie Burns statue after the first World War. He was acquitted because police lied. Centenary place formally The Domain is one of the central places for political discussion in Brisbane over a period of a century.

Ian Curr 15 November 2025

Story Bridge walk 15 November 2025

View of the Story Bridge under construction from Queen Street 1939

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