Death Chants in Our Streets.
Death Chants in Our Streets Reveal a Moral Double Standard
Protest is vital—but death chants cross a dangerous line. In recent rallies across Australia, calls of “Death to the IDF” have pierced the public square. That phrase doesn’t just target a military—it implicates conscripts, reservists, and civilians, many of whom are Jewish. Yet such incitement is met with silence—or romanticised as “resistance.”
Now imagine chanting “Death to Hamas” in Sydney. Would it be tolerated? Hamas is a listed terrorist organisation that has slaughtered civilians and taken hostages. But such a slogan would likely be condemned as Islamophobic or racist.
It’s a glaring double standard. The IDF, however contested, is the defence force of a democratic ally. Hamas is a genocidal non-state actor. Yet somehow, we excuse calls to annihilate one while condemning the other.
We need moral clarity, not partisanship. Free speech should not cloak hate speech. If our public square tolerates “Death to the IDF,” it must also tolerate outrage at Hamas—or better yet, reject both as inconsistent with democratic values.
Australia’s multicultural cohesion depends on consistency. We must ask hard questions about what we permit in protest, and whether certain voices receive immunity from scrutiny. This isn’t just about slogans—it’s about who we are. And as legal scholar Alan Dershowitz reminds us:
> “It’s never acceptable to target civilians. It violates the Geneva Accords, it violates the international law of war and it violates all principles of morality.”
If we let street rhetoric violate this fundamental norm, we erode the very values Australia claims to uphold.
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Authorship Note:
This piece was co-authored using Microsoft Copilot to assist with tone refinement, structural clarity, and evidence synthesis. The moral argument and strategic framing reflect my personal experience as a father, construction manager, and advocate for systemic reform.
