I'm cautious of trying to make political statements on the back of tragedies like the one that occurred this week, so I will keep this brief. Firstly, like everyone else, I am saddened and shocked by the events and my thoughts are with those who are now in mourning. The point I wanted to raise is that you could be mistaken for thinking this is the only recent shooting in Australia from how it is being treated by the media (a topic I have spoken about in more detail here). Off the top of my head there have been several other recent shootings that have generated far less media interest, due to the lack of a terrorist angle. While the possible existence of hate preachers who would seek to incite violence within our borders concerns me, I hope this isn't the catalyst for another wave of anti-Muslim rhetoric- something I was glad to see the prime minister was also careful to avoid in his response.
A friend asked me whether I’d considered writing about Troy Newman’s claim that he is being deprived of his right to freedom of speech by being refused entry into the country. I hadn’t as it seems to me the man is making a parody of himself with his argument that he should have the right to tell others they do not have the right to make their own choices. He doesn’t need me to critique his inconsistency. It is going to be hard for people to take him seriously after that, without me even having to touch on some of his other extreme and hateful statements.
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