A 70-year-old man arrested under Queensland’s new hate speech laws has told the court that he wanted to plead insanity, because he “thinks the charge is insane.”
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Jim Dowling, was charged with one count of publicly displaying a prohibited expression under s52DA of the Queensland Criminal Code.
Jim Dowling last month protested outside the Brisbane headquarters of Weapons manufacturer Boeing, a company that makes and supplies Israel with F15 and wing kits for bombs.
Mr Dowling said he had a banner with the words: “From the river to the sea, Brisbane will be free of Boeing.”
The term “from the river to the sea” was outlawed by the Queensland government last month, when expressed in a way that makes a member of the public feel menaced, harassed or offended.
The state government and many Jewish organisations falsely claim the phrase is antisemitic.
‘The charge insane’
Jim has spent the last two years outside Boeing at 123 Albert Street, so called Brisbane, dressed as the Grim Reaper, in a black cloak carrying a scythe, and his warnings have come true in the Middle East, as we have seen with Trump’s insane war against Iran.
In Brisbane Arrest Court on Tuesday morning, Magistrate Belinda Merrin asked Dowling how he would like to proceed with the charge.
“I’d like to plead insanity, I think the charge is insane and anyone who takes it is a bit suss as well,” he responded.
Mr Dowling told the court he intends to plead insanity, claiming the “charge is insane”. (ABC News: Lucy Loram)
Magistrate Merin told Mr Dowling that he had the right to do so, but he would need to produce evidence to the court to prove it.
“Ordinarily, you will need to provide a psychiatrist report. Do you have plans for that?” Magistrate Belinda Merrin asked.
“It’s not that I’m insane, it’s that I think the law is insane,” Mr Dowling responded.
“I see, I will note that you are contesting the charge,” Magistrate Merrin told the court.
Drop the charges
After his mention in court, Mr Dowling was cheered after giving a press conference organised by Justice for Palestine.
