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| Jim Molan – and all MPs – must avoid promoting bigotry, commissioner says | Jim Molan – and all MPs – must avoid promoting bigotry, commissioner says |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Race discrimination commissioner Tim Soutphommasane responds to furore over far-right video | Race discrimination commissioner Tim Soutphommasane responds to furore over far-right video |
| Katharine Murphy Political editor | Katharine Murphy Political editor |
| Tue 6 Feb 2018 17.00 GMT | Tue 6 Feb 2018 17.00 GMT |
| Last modified on Tue 6 Feb 2018 22.35 GMT | |
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| Australia’s race discrimination commissioner Tim Soutphommasane says politicians have a responsibility to avoid the promotion of prejudice, bigotry and hatred in response to controversy over the reposting of anti-Islam videos by Britain First by the new Liberal senator, Jim Molan. | Australia’s race discrimination commissioner Tim Soutphommasane says politicians have a responsibility to avoid the promotion of prejudice, bigotry and hatred in response to controversy over the reposting of anti-Islam videos by Britain First by the new Liberal senator, Jim Molan. |
| Soutphommasane told Guardian Australia far-right groups like Britain First represented “a clear threat to democratic values” and if people became familiar with the group’s content “it’s not something you want to endorse”. | Soutphommasane told Guardian Australia far-right groups like Britain First represented “a clear threat to democratic values” and if people became familiar with the group’s content “it’s not something you want to endorse”. |
| He said most Australians would have the highest respect for Molan as a former major-general, and he also acknowledged the reposting of the videos from the far-right group occurred before he entered politics. | He said most Australians would have the highest respect for Molan as a former major-general, and he also acknowledged the reposting of the videos from the far-right group occurred before he entered politics. |
| “But those in public life must do nothing to promote prejudice, bigotry or hatred,” the race discrimination commissioner said. | “But those in public life must do nothing to promote prejudice, bigotry or hatred,” the race discrimination commissioner said. |
| Soutphommasane’s comments followed Malcolm Turnbull’s decision to firmly back Molan after Labor and the Greens pressed the government about whether it was appropriate for the retired major-general to have shared Britain First material on his Facebook page. | Soutphommasane’s comments followed Malcolm Turnbull’s decision to firmly back Molan after Labor and the Greens pressed the government about whether it was appropriate for the retired major-general to have shared Britain First material on his Facebook page. |
| The videos depict attacks in which two youths punch, push to the ground and kick a young woman, and kick, punch and pelt police cars. | The videos depict attacks in which two youths punch, push to the ground and kick a young woman, and kick, punch and pelt police cars. |
| The prime minister told parliament that Molan, who was sworn in as a Liberal senator for New South Wales on Monday, “doesn’t have a racist bone in his body”. Turnbull said it was “deplorable” and “disgusting” that the Labor leader Bill Shorten would describe the former major general as a racist. | The prime minister told parliament that Molan, who was sworn in as a Liberal senator for New South Wales on Monday, “doesn’t have a racist bone in his body”. Turnbull said it was “deplorable” and “disgusting” that the Labor leader Bill Shorten would describe the former major general as a racist. |
| Molan told Radio National on Tuesday morning that Britain First was an “appalling organisation” which he did not endorse, but he refused to disavow the videos, which blamed violent incidents on Muslims. | Molan told Radio National on Tuesday morning that Britain First was an “appalling organisation” which he did not endorse, but he refused to disavow the videos, which blamed violent incidents on Muslims. |
| Later on the Bolt Report on Sky News, Molan said he regretted his actions “in a way” but the regret seemed to extend to not cleaning up his personal social media feed. | Later on the Bolt Report on Sky News, Molan said he regretted his actions “in a way” but the regret seemed to extend to not cleaning up his personal social media feed. |
| Asked by the program host Andrew Bolt whether he regretted sharing the controversial material, the Liberal senator replied: “In a way I do.” | Asked by the program host Andrew Bolt whether he regretted sharing the controversial material, the Liberal senator replied: “In a way I do.” |
| “It was unwise, not to, as [Sky News broadcaster] Laura Jayes advised as I walked past the TV today, that I should have cleaned my social media – it was unwise of me not to do that,” Molan said. | “It was unwise, not to, as [Sky News broadcaster] Laura Jayes advised as I walked past the TV today, that I should have cleaned my social media – it was unwise of me not to do that,” Molan said. |
| “The reason that I didn’t do it of course was I saw nothing wrong with it. Those videos … certainly looked real to me, and the aspect of those videos that I was particularly interested in was the violence and the anti-social behaviour. | “The reason that I didn’t do it of course was I saw nothing wrong with it. Those videos … certainly looked real to me, and the aspect of those videos that I was particularly interested in was the violence and the anti-social behaviour. |
| “Hey yeah – but you’ve got to be smart in this game of politicians, and maybe in the last couple of days I should have blown [my social media material] away”. | “Hey yeah – but you’ve got to be smart in this game of politicians, and maybe in the last couple of days I should have blown [my social media material] away”. |
| Molan said he now intended to take down his personal social media presence and come up with a professional Facebook page. | Molan said he now intended to take down his personal social media presence and come up with a professional Facebook page. |
| He said he was “mildly embarrassed” that members of the government “have had to step out of line and support me” since the controversy erupted, and he accused political opponents of seeking to “misrepresent” his actions. | He said he was “mildly embarrassed” that members of the government “have had to step out of line and support me” since the controversy erupted, and he accused political opponents of seeking to “misrepresent” his actions. |
| “We’ve got a good government going here, and a good year starting, and we don’t want the silliness and the misrepresentation consuming the oxygen of what this government is doing,” he said. | “We’ve got a good government going here, and a good year starting, and we don’t want the silliness and the misrepresentation consuming the oxygen of what this government is doing,” he said. |
| Molan said he was unaware at the time he reposted the material that Britain First was an anti-Islam group. He said he did not remember the videos he reposted until they had surfaced publicly this week, and did not recall his specific thinking at the time he shared them. | Molan said he was unaware at the time he reposted the material that Britain First was an anti-Islam group. He said he did not remember the videos he reposted until they had surfaced publicly this week, and did not recall his specific thinking at the time he shared them. |
| He said he had shared the material on his Facebook page because he was struck by the violence depicted in the videos, not because he believed there was a link between Islam and violence. | He said he had shared the material on his Facebook page because he was struck by the violence depicted in the videos, not because he believed there was a link between Islam and violence. |
| Asked by Bolt whether there was a link between Islam and violence, Molan replied: “No, there’s not”. | Asked by Bolt whether there was a link between Islam and violence, Molan replied: “No, there’s not”. |
| “I saw this not as Islam, I saw this as violence”. | “I saw this not as Islam, I saw this as violence”. |
| Asked whether there was a link between violence and immigration, Molan said “quite possibly”. | Asked whether there was a link between violence and immigration, Molan said “quite possibly”. |
| Pressed whether Australia needed to consider its immigration intake, Molan invoked Irish immigration – noting that he was of Irish extraction. | Pressed whether Australia needed to consider its immigration intake, Molan invoked Irish immigration – noting that he was of Irish extraction. |
| “The Irish, as they moved out from Ireland through the world, they formed the thugs and the gangs and the criminals in those areas,” Molan said. “Now I haven’t done a great and comprehensive study about Muslim violence, but violence is violence regardless of whether it is conducted by Muslims or … anyone else, or the Irish in Chicago, or the Irish in South Melbourne, where is where my great-great-grandparents came from”. | “The Irish, as they moved out from Ireland through the world, they formed the thugs and the gangs and the criminals in those areas,” Molan said. “Now I haven’t done a great and comprehensive study about Muslim violence, but violence is violence regardless of whether it is conducted by Muslims or … anyone else, or the Irish in Chicago, or the Irish in South Melbourne, where is where my great-great-grandparents came from”. |
| “To me, that’s not the issue. It’s a separate fight, a separate argument is we are going to talk about Sudanese gangs, etc etc.” | “To me, that’s not the issue. It’s a separate fight, a separate argument is we are going to talk about Sudanese gangs, etc etc.” |
| Bolt corrected his guest by pointing out that “most Sudanese here are not Muslim at all”. | Bolt corrected his guest by pointing out that “most Sudanese here are not Muslim at all”. |
| Molan also rejected inferences from the Greens on Tuesday that he was a war criminal. In an attack in the Senate on Tuesday, the Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, said the former major-general’s oversight of the Iraq war included “responsibility for the assault on Falluja, the assault that resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe with civilians denied food, water and aid”. | Molan also rejected inferences from the Greens on Tuesday that he was a war criminal. In an attack in the Senate on Tuesday, the Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, said the former major-general’s oversight of the Iraq war included “responsibility for the assault on Falluja, the assault that resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe with civilians denied food, water and aid”. |
| Molan was asked by Bolt on Tuesday night whether he was a war criminal. He replied: “Absolutely not, every activity I conducted in Iraq in a vicious, nasty war, was in accordance with the laws of armed conflict”. | Molan was asked by Bolt on Tuesday night whether he was a war criminal. He replied: “Absolutely not, every activity I conducted in Iraq in a vicious, nasty war, was in accordance with the laws of armed conflict”. |
| Australian politics | Australian politics |
| Liberal party | Liberal party |
| Race issues | Race issues |
| news | news |
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