EVERY time ASIO boss Mike Burgess is questioned in Senate Estimates, the same senators ask the same questions and the same journalists file the same story. You surely know the one I mean: the ‘Growing Threat of Neo-Nazis.’ Primed by ‘national security’ hysteria and more gullible than ink-slingers of old, pressmen on the Estimates round either don’t notice or don’t care that one senator in particular – NSW Green David Shoebridge – is schlepping boilerplate. His agenda is to gaslight the nation into accepting that institutionalised left-wing extremism is now normative by diverting attention to politically irrelevant phantoms. He does this by putting Director-General Burgess into a position where he has to say something – anything, really – about Nazis. On Tuesday, he was at it again, asking why “only three” of 29 listed terrorist organisations are right-wing groups. This was exactly the same question he asked in February. It is no coincidence that an identical, entirely fake puzzlement was expressed by Shoebridge’s state senatorial predecessor, Kristina Keneally. During the pandemic, she too wanted to associate her enemies with an imaginary SS in the suburbs. As the statutorily obliged Burgess again pointed out on Tuesday, ASIO has no power to proscribe or even interfere with groups that don’t break the law or advocate violence.
Instead of calling out Senator Shoebridge for his tiresome grandstanding, newspapers and networks yesterday used his barren and inane queries in Senate Estimates as the basis for yet another ‘Nazi threat’ potboiler. This time, however, the best they could do was say that while “neo-Nazis” are tactically law-abiding, they are recruiting. As an outfit that never lets the disappointing truth stand in the way of oafish balderdash (see conspiracy theorist Sarah Ferguson on the Trump-Russia Hoax), the ABC took what Director-General Burgess said about the Voice referendum – to wit: that there were no known threats to its placid completion – and transformed it into a “chilling warning.” Were it not for two flaws in his testimony, I’d have a degree of sympathy for Burgess, given the inevitable verballing he is required to endure at Parliament House.
First, if inciting followers to commit violence is the threshold for ASIO’s intervention, why wasn’t action taken against Lidia Thorpe for advocating a race war on Australia Day (while brandishing a club)? Second, South Australian Liberal senator Alex Antic asked Burgess in Estimates if ASIO was aware of threats from “violent” trans activists. His breezy reply: “Not from my perspective.” If the menacing mobs that assailed Kellie-Jay Keen at her ‘Let Women Speak’ rallies weren’t violent, why were dozens of regular and mounted police mobilised to guard participants? Was she not assaulted in New Zealand? Is the Director-General not aware of the Covenant School massacre in Memphis several weeks ago and the increasing number of transgender-involved crimes being committed in the United States? Has he not argued in relation to Australian right-wing extremists that they are inspired by ideologically motivated violence overseas? Finally, is he aware that the United Nations has now intervened in defence of Moira Deeming? Special rapporteur on violence against women and girls Reem Alsalem has strongly condemned “the frequent tactic of smearing women, girls and their allies as ‘Nazis’ and ‘extremists’.” If the UN can see the danger of both left-wing trans-fanatics and fatuous nazi-mongering, ASIO certainly should.
ASIO warns the Indigenous voice to parliament campaign may trigger ’spontaneous violence’ ahead of the referendum.
The head of ASIO has warned the campaign ahead of the referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament may incite “spontaneous violence”, but there was no threat of a terrorist attack or foreign interference at this stage.
As federal MPs debate the government’s preferred model for the voice, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess told a Senate estimates hearing there had been recent security assessments of the referendum, which he labelled a “significant event”.
“We are not seeing indications of people planning a terrorist attack as part of that but that’s something that we constantly look at, noting the terrorism threat level is still probable,” he said.
“Unfortunately we do expect people, as they express their views and exchange their views online, that might inflame some people.
“There might be some protest and counter protest, and some of that might result in spontaneous violence.”
Mr Burgess said there was no intelligence that other countries were planning to interfere in the referendum but ASIO was “on the lookout” for such a risk.
Liberal shadow cabinet members on Monday night decided not to put forward any amendments to the government’s Constitution Alteration Bill, which outlines the question to be put to Australians at the referendum and the wording of a new section that would be inserted into the founding document.
The section establishes a voice that can make representations to parliament and executive government on matters that affect Indigenous people.
Opposition legal affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash accused the government of “trying to ram their Canberra-based voice” through the parliament.
“(The government has) refused to answer questions or accept any amendments as to how their voice will operate,” she said.
“The Liberal Party believes that the question of the voice should be a matter for the Australian people at a referendum, enabling everyone to have their say.
“We are strongly encouraging Australians to vote No.”
Indigenous leader Thomas Mayo, a member of the government’s referendum working group, said Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s claim the voice would insert race into the Constitution was “unhelpful” and had been detrimental to the tone of the debate. He remained optimistic the referendum would succeed, despite polling showing support for the voice had fallen.
“I have optimism because it is a simple proposition and it’s a modest proposition,” Mr Mayo told Sky News. “It’s not about inserting race into the Constitution. It’s about an Indigenous people that have a special place in this country. I think most Australians would agree with that now.
“It’s a beautiful culture that we have and that we’re generously offering this year to all Australians. I think that truth alone is enough to get this through. I think the consistency of our message that this is an invitation is going to ultimately carry us through.”
Reconciliation Australia last week rebuffed suggestions reconciliation would “die” if the referendum was voted down, telling a parliamentary committee the work to achieve a reconciled country would continue regardless of the referendum’s outcome.
Karen Mundine, the chief executive of the not-for-profit, lead body for reconciliation, made the comments after Indigenous leader Noel Pearson said a No vote would destroy reconciliation.
“Reconciliation will die, it would be dead,” Mr Pearson said this month.
Ms Mundine said: “That’s not my experience.
“We certainly believe that the work of reconciliation continues on … regardless of what the referendum comes to.”
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Rosie Lewis and Sarah Ison in The Australian
UN concern at Liberal party’s treatment of Moira Deeming.
The UN’s special rapporteur on violence against women and girls has become involved in expelled former Liberal MP Moira Deeming’s battle with Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto, issuing a statement expressing concern that women and girls are being silenced on issues of sex, gender and gender identity.
Reem Alsalem references “the incitement of hatred, (including) the frequent tactic of smearing women, girls and their allies … as “Nazis” … and “extremists” and “women politicians who have been sanctioned by their own political parties with a threat of dismissal or actual dismissal” in her statement issued earlier this week.
The comments come less than a fortnight after the Victorian Liberal partyroom voted 19-11 to expel Ms Deeming from the parliamentary Liberal Party following the escalation of a dispute between her and Mr Pesutto dating back to his unsuccessful attempt to expel her in March after she attended a Let Women Speak rally that was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis.
The rally was organised by British activist Kellie-Jay Keen’s feminist group Standing for Women UK, which campaigns against what it regards as the infringement of transgender rights upon those of women and girls.
Ms Deeming has given Mr Pesutto notice she intends to file a defamation suit against him in the Federal Court on June 8, alleging he accused her “of being a Nazi sympathiser” in seeking to justify his first attempt to expel her.
The Australian understands Ms Alsalem made contact with Ms Deeming following the March expulsion attempt, offering to help the MP make a human rights complaint against the Liberal Party. It is understood Ms Deeming declined the offer because she was still hopeful of reaching an internal resolution with Mr Pesutto at the time.
In her statement, Ms Alsalem said she was concerned by the “shrinking space in several countries in the global north for women and feminist organisations and their allies to gather and/or express themselves peacefully in demanding respect for their needs based on their sex and/or sexual orientation.
“I am disturbed by the frequent tactic of smear campaigns against women, girls and their allies on the basis of their beliefs on non-discrimination based on sex and same-sex relations,” she said.
“Branding them as “Nazis”, “genocidaires” or “extremists” is a means of attack and intimidation with the purpose of deterring women from speaking and expressing their views. Such actions are deeply troubling, as they are intended to instil fear in them, shame them into silence, and incite violence and hatred against them. Such acts severely affect the dignified participation of women and girls in society.”
Ms Alsalem intervened in November to express concern that then Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon’s proposals to reform gender recognition laws could allow violent males to “abuse” women and girls.
In her most recent statement, the Jordanian-born Oxford Human Rights Law Masters graduate said she had “particular concern” about “various forms of reprisals against women, including censorship, legal harassment (and) employment loss”.
“In some cases, women politicians are sanctioned by their political parties, including through the threat of dismissal or actual dismissal,” she said.
Mr Pesutto’s office declined to comment.
The UN rapporteur’s intervention comes after a Roy Morgan poll published on Tuesday found Mr Pesutto’s handling of Ms Deeming had a negative impact on his job approval as leader, with 64 per cent of voters saying Daniel Andrews would be a better premier compared with 36 per cent for the Opposition Leader.
Comments from voters, quoted in the polling report, included that Mr Pesutto’s treatment of Ms Deeming had been “disgraceful”.
“He is a bully and wants to prevent women from speaking when we want to talk about our rights,” one surveyed voter said.
Another said: “His treatment of Moira Deeming proved to everyone he’s not capable of running his own party, let alone the state of Victoria.”
However, Mr Pesutto did receive some backing from non-Liberal voters, one of whom said: “He’s doing a great job in moderating the party’s views and taking some positive stances on things that I think are important, especially around Deeming.”
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Rachel Baxendale in The Australian
Funny how some people think Australia is a contest of Nazis versus “institutional left wing extremism”. Whereas most of us get by without a harsh word with our neighbours on any day of the week. This my explain why CL is so unhappy with the middle of the road pluralism that voters seem to prefer.
crusada nix
wipe your chin.
your dribbling again.
It could be said that a middle-of-the-road crusader is funny also.
Some fervour, please
How blissful to be middle-of-the road, getting-by, discoursing in platitudes,
neighbourly. Lukewarm. But then I looked up Rev 3:15-16.
Update on Alleged “White Supremacist” Who Crashed U-Haul into White House Barrier: Sai Kandula Bought His Nazi Flag Online, Supports Eugenics and One World Order, and IS NOT A US CITIZEN
Yes, a person who is clearly of Asian descent must be a “white supremacist.”
Just like the “white supremacist” who recently murdered several people in Texas.
Unfortunately for the leftist gaslighting he happened to be Hispanic.
But then, according to the left, whether Hispanics are, or are not white depends entirely on how it suits the narrative.
A Hispanic kills others, then he is “white”, if he is a victim then he is a person of “colour” or a victim of “racism” himself.
How paranoid does someone like the resident troll need to be, to take an article that rubbishes the claim made by a greens and a labor mp that Nazis are everywhere in Australia then assert that the author sees Australia through a Nazis v far left extremist lens.?
I have news for you, just because you write something Crusader, that doesn’t make it true.
I wonder how long Mike Burgess spends in front of a mirror, practising his voice-of-doom declarations that are meant to have all us poor civilians diving under our beds.
What is doubly nauseating about Shoebridge’s posturing is that he is the proud protege and successor of that out-and-out lifelong Stalinist, Lee Rhiannon. That, apparently, doesn’t count as extremism.
Why Did the DOJ Downgrade Charges Against the ‘White Supremacist’ Who Rammed White House Barricade?
By ‘spontaneous’, Burgess must mean disruptors with intentions as unforeseeable as the Melbourne ‘perfect perishers’ in ‘footer bags’ – once denoted as such by a commenter here in the know about such tactics.
There is zero chance of idiots like Burgess (and Shoebridge) ever letting up on the existence (or otherwise) of a preposterous home grown neo-nayzee chimera.
Not while collectivist violence (or the threat of it) is becoming increasingly prevalent.
Remember, whatever these collectivst clowns accuse you of, they are busy engaging in themselves.