Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission Dr Dvir Abramovich has long campaigned against Facebook allowing hate speech on its platform. “For too long, Facebook has allowed the most base impulses that lurk at the fringes of our society to find a large audience and to enter into the bloodstream of too many people,” he said. “Bigots do not deserve a microphone.”
Facebook’s news purge shows it could do the same with hate speech
Spurned on by extremist and biased Islamophobic media globally. The largest in the English speaking world being Murdoch Media. In Melbourne alone in 2018 some 2850 anti- Islamic articles were published in the Herald Sun alone with Andrew Bolt an obsessed and leading contributor via his columns, radio, blogs, and Sky presance. He played a part so much so after the Barcelona bombings he was imploring the Christian youth of Australia to have the guts and fight back. A reminder of Alan Jones during the Cronulla Riots. (ODT)
The emergence of cold-blooded psychopaths and murderers who harbor plans to slaughter Muslims is becoming an alarming trend not only in Europe, but in the rest of the world.
via Anti-Islamic terrorism becomes ‘alarming trend’ in Europe & beyond – Moscow — RT World News
Also on rt.com UK Islamophobic incidents soar 600% in week after Christchurch terrorist attacks
There is no fineness of oppression. We become the words we use. One small lie inevitably must be paid for with another larger lie, and that with more again. To rob one human of freedom demands that we must rob another, or the crime becomes too obvious. That is why to falsely imprison one human for no crime is a scandal while to kidnap and falsely imprison thousands for no crime is called a national necessity.
This was, and always was only about the basest electoral politics, playing to a racist idea of Australia, that over 20 years, gave cover and then legitimacy to increasingly dangerous and murderous groups in our society.
It’s exactly what the right-wing strategy is to scream “fire” in a crowded cinema. Dutton, Bolt Morrison have all called Melbourne the most dangerous city in Australia when their “fire” is the Sudanese. Racism at it’s worse. (ODT)
It might be objected that such a law is incompatible with a right of free speech, but many years ago the US Supreme Court dealt with that objection, noting that the (first amendment) right of free speech did not authorise falsely shouting “fire” in a crowded theatre.
It is a shame that we need laws to discourage the sort of comments which result in events like the Christchurch killings, but shame is no excuse for not acting. It is our hope that stronger criminal penalties will help facilitate the cultural changes that mean they will one day no longer be needed.
A man executed two black people at a grocery store, but didn’t engage a white man outside because “whites don’t shoot whites.” A Donald Trump supporter and apparent anti-Semite who looked up to white supremacists sent bombs in the mail to the president’s opposition. An avowed anti-Semite walked into a synagogue and killed 11 people after screaming, “All Jews must die!”
it was given tacit endorsement through violent rhetoric coming from our pundits and our president; and it had a strong community in which to fester and grow. His act capped off a week in which hate showed what it is truly capable of in America.
This was one week in American hate.
via A Week Of American Hate: Bombs Mailed, Black People Executed, Jews Slaughtered | HuffPost
There can be little doubt that one of the main contributors to this “white noise” has been far-right groups such as the English Defence League (EDL) and Britain First. Without any constraints being placed on them, they were only allowed to become ever more confrontational and aggressive towards Muslims and mosques. The mainstream media gave them a platform from which to voice their explicit and divisive message about Muslims and Islam.
Source: What to do when anti-Muslim Hate Speech now passes the Dinner Table Test? | Informed Comment
Craig Thomson discusses Australia’s ugly immigration policies – past and present – and how they have allowed modern racism to flourish.
Source: Freedom of speech according to Kruger and Hanson: Racism by any other name
It’s Not Funny if it has no Insightful…
Written by: Letitia McQuade
After proposing then abandoning a raft of manifestly unpopular changes to section 18c of Australia’s racial vilification laws last year, certain members of the LNP have recently relaunched their attack on 18C, under the rather disingenuous pretext of championing free speech.
In the wake of the Charlie Hedbo attacks Cory Bernardi has been out there again, calling for the LNP’s precious 18c amendments to be put back on the table.
Like pit bulls with lock jaw, a gang radical right wing MP’s including Cory Bernardi, George Brandis, Dean Smith, liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm, and Family First’s Bob Day have been lobbying hard to ensure we Aussies have the right to engage in hate speech.
Just for clarity, lets take a closer look at what it is they want to change. Specifically they want to have the words “offend, insult and humiliate” removed from the act.
Offensive behaviour because of race, colour or national or ethnic origin
(1) It is unlawful for a person to do an act, otherwise than in private, if:
(a) the act is reasonably likely, in all the circumstances, to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate another person or a group of people; and
(b) the act is done because of the race, colour or national or ethnic origin of the other person or of some or all of the people in the group.
So in effect what they are proposing is that it would just fine to PUBLICLY “offend, insult and humiliate” someone based on their race, colour or national or ethnic origin, so long as you don’t “intimidate” them.
I think it’s fairly safe to say that most people would find public insult and humiliation somewhat intimidating; so we can assume that the interpretation to be given to the word “intimidate” under the proposed amendments would be “to directly physically threaten”, rather than “to emotionally threaten”.
If these changes were ushered in, then it theoretically it would be OK if I were to call Tony Abbott filthy, unwashed, lazy, whinging, snaggle toothed, imperialist, stuck up, limey British scum? And that would be totally OK, because I am all I am doing is using racial stereotypes to abuse him, but I am not actually threatening to do him any harm. Of course the truth is that most British people work hard, wash regularly, visit dentists, aren’t seeking to expand their empire, and complain in relatively appropriate measure..:-), but hey why let the truth get in the way of good story.
Unfortunately what these right wing warriors are failing to understand is that the Racial Discrimination Act is not really about protecting the feelings of “white people”. It was drafted in the knowledge that there are ethnic groups in this country that really suffer as a result of constant racial abuse and the negative stereo types that such abuse fosters.
To our shame there are many Australians, (most notedly our indigenous brothers and sisters, followed closely by those of African or “middle eastern appearance”) that regularly suffer systemic discrimination in housing and employment on the basis of their race. They are the same Australians that regularly suffer physical abuse in public spaces, and higher rates of detention and incarceration on account of their race. So please let’s not minimise this, these are real consequences, for real people!
Free speech is a noble ideal, but in order for something to be truly free it must come without a cost. Just because hate mongers like Andrew Bolt, Alan Jones and the oh so white fleet of right wing MP’s don’t personally pay the price for their racist tirades doesn’t mean someone isn’t picking up the tab. And too frequently those picking up the tab are the among the poorest and most marginalised members of our Australian family.
If you happen to belong to one of those oft targeted minorities the Racial Discrimination Act may not offer a lot of protection, but it is the thin end of a very important wedge. It is a line in the sand that says NO, we as Australians do NOT want a society where racial vilification and negative racial stereotypes are permitted to fester and stew in the public sphere. We want an Australia that says racists need to be ashamed, knowing that they are on the wrong side of what is morally decent, and on the wrong side of the law. We want an Australia where vile hate speech does land Andrew Bolt in court and up on charges. Mostly we want an Australia that is for the fair go for everyone regardless of race, colour or creed.
So Mr Bernadi, I say this to you on behalf of all decent, fair minded Australian’s….. GET BACK IN YOUR BOX!!!, we don’t want the hate you are peddling!!!
olddogthoughts 
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