It Seems Like Everyone But Malcolm Turnbull Is Slamming Jim Molan For Sharing Anti-Muslim Posts
Meanwhile, Malcolm Turnbull spent "Safer Internet Day" defending Molan's posts.
Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane and the husband of murdered British politician Jo Cox have added their voices to the growing criticism of new Liberal senator Jim Molan for sharing anti-Muslim propaganda from fascist organisation Britain First on Facebook.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of this country continues to defend Molan, opting to push a complicated (read: nonsensical) take that it’s somehow not racist or harmful because Molan once fought in the Middle East?
Jim Molan (like thousands of other Australians) served his country as a military officer. We thank him for his service. That doesn’t give him a free pass to post, without criticism, material produced by British neo-nazis. Today ? again failed the leadership test. #auspol
— Brian Mitchell MP (@BrianMitchellMP) February 6, 2018
Jim Molan shares racist material from a fascist group and the PM calls him ‘a great Australian’. Yassmin Abdel-Magied asks for sympathy for refugees and gets driven out of the country. #strayahttps://t.co/nCxIczD1Fz
— Jeff Sparrow (@Jeff_Sparrow) 6 February 2018
ALP Senator Doug Cameron, attacking new government Senator @Jim_Molan over controversial social media posts @channeltennews pic.twitter.com/COKHL9RpkJ
— Jonathan Lea (@JonathanLea10) February 6, 2018
This morning Soutphommasane used his platform as Race Discrimination Commissioner to make it very clear that this is not the case. He told The Guardian that videos by Britain First, a far-right UK political group, are “not something you want to endorse”, and pointedly noted that “those in public life must do nothing to promote prejudice, bigotry or hatred”.
Brendan Cox, the widower of UK politician Jo Cox, who was murdered by a man yelling “Britain first”, also called for those who share the group’s content to be held accountable for their actions.
“Those who excuse and encourage the hatred of Britain First and their ilk are doing the work of the terrorists for them,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald this morning. “Elected politicians cannot claim ignorance and must not be allowed to walk away from the effects of their actions.”
Molan himself has refused to apologise for the posts, saying only that he should have cleaned up his social media prior to taking public office. It has since come to light that Molan previously shared even more anti-Muslim content on his Twitter account, including a racist joke that read “Exam. I was asked to name two things commonly found in cells. Apparently ‘young Muslims’ and ‘Somalians’ were not the correct answers”.
There's no way the Liberals didn't know Jim Molan was a serial poster of fascist propaganda. Even Trump apologised for this shit, but they gave Molan a Senate seat!
— Osman Faruqi (@oz_f) February 5, 2018
And still, no condemnation from our Prime Minister. In fact, Malcolm Turnbull spent yesterday promoting “#SaferInternetDay”, slamming online bullying while…continuing to defend his own party members sharing anti-Muslim propaganda. You can’t make this shit up.
It was great to join @TurnbullMalcolm @thepmo and all the proud supporters at @safeinternetday Safer Internet Day 2018. Let's create a better internet together!
#SID2018 #SaferInternetDay pic.twitter.com/1ly91xTYgJ— CyberHound (@CyberHound6St) February 6, 2018