Red triangles signal a new level of hate in Australia

The recent appearance of a red triangle on Australian shores is a sign that the transplanted tensions from the Middle East have reached a new and dangerous stage.

The red triangle is a military symbol of Hamas, itself a banned terrorist organisation in Australia.

It is not a ‘Free Palestine’ sign nor an expression of support for Palestinian civilians who are victims of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Like a swastika – itself now a banned symbol– the red triangle aligns its users with those who want to murder Jews. It signals support for a violent organisation committed to the annihilation of Israel – the home of almost half the world’s Jewish people – the organisation responsible for the murder, rape and kidnapping of thousands of Israelis on October 7.

The red triangle has gained popularity among pro-Palestinian campaigners only in recent months, drawn from combat footage published by Hamas using an inverted red triangle as an arrow to indicate Israeli military targets, just before they are struck.

While it echoes the red triangle on the Palestinian flag – which dates back to the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire in 1917 – its contemporary iteration is as a violent, military symbol.

Raising a red triangle is a death threat. It is a symbol of the violence that has brought the Israel-Palestine conflict to its current desperate state. It certainly has no place in Australia.

Yet here it is. Twice in two months, wine merchant Tim Cohen has found an inverted red triangle on the wall of his Brunswick East shop in Melbourne’s inner north. The first time, the symbol was accompanied by a threatening message warning people not to buy from his store.

The red triangle has been painted on placards and graffitied on buildings, including the office of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US consulate in Sydney.

A work by artist Leslie Eastman created controversy last week for using a red triangle. Eastman denies his installation is an endorsement of Hamas – noting the triangle changes from white to pink to red during the day. But his denial is disingenuous in the context of an exhibition called The Cave, The Flood, referencing the October 7 attack which Hamas called Al-Aqsa Flood.

It is possible that some of those flapping banners and scrawling on shopfronts do not understand the meaning of a red triangle. After all a survey in the US found less than half of students who support the slogan ‘From the River to the Sea’ can name the river and the sea. It’s never a good idea to blame conspiracy when you can blame incompetence.

But such a defence cannot be advanced by the leaders of the Pro-Palestine movement who know exactly what they are doing. There is a concerted campaign to blur the boundary between those who support a Palestinian state and those who think it’s acceptable to murder Jews and annihilate Israel to achieve it.

To remain a safe, decent and socially cohesive society, Australia must draw that boundary very clearly. It is essential that in balancing the right to free speech with the need to protect Australians from incitement and racial vilification, we recognise the difference between a keffiyeh and a red triangle, between Palestinian liberation and incitement to kill Jews, whether those Jews are Israeli or Australian.

The onus is on police, civil and university authorities to create clear guidelines as to what constitutes acceptable protest in this highly conflicted space. Say yes to calls for liberation: "Free Palestine", keffiyehs, and Palestinian flags. Say no to calls for violence: red triangles, “Zionists not welcome”, and “From the River to the Sea”.

We already have the law in place. Australia’s counter-terrorism laws prohibit the public display of hate symbols. The law was changed last year to specifically include swastikas and Islamic State symbols, but it is broad enough to encompass newly minted hate symbols. If a neo-Nazi can face a year in jail for displaying a swastika, surely the same provision applies to someone wearing a t-shirt with a red triangle, probably a more dangerous symbol in a contemporary context.

We are not suggesting mass arrests of protesters displaying red triangles, let alone jail. Such action would be counter-productive and would only reinforce the false narrative that the conflict is a symbol of Palestinian victims facing powerful Israeli oppressors.

But authorities should act to remove red triangles as illegal symbols of a banned terrorist organisation and to prosecute those who persistently refuse to comply.

Policing symbols is complex, and police are understandably unwilling to engage. But we have reached the point where the threats are not just words. We are facing a specific danger that can be measured in the sharp growth in antisemitism since October 7, 2023.

The Israel-Palestine conflict has invaded Australia. Jewish individuals have been doxed and had their businesses destroyed. School children and sportspeople have experienced vile threats. University students and staff say they do not feel safe.

The extension of the counter-terrorism legislation last year and new legislation to criminalise the practice of doxing introduced into parliament last week are attempts to act at a political level.

But laws are only useful if police are prepared to act. There is a time to hold back and a time to enforce. We are past the point of holding back.

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