Brian Ross wrote on Oct 11
th, 2014 at 12:55pm:
One should also remember Mr.Jones' public service announcements which rallied support to show beach users at Cronulla the correct Australian attitude towards those of "Middle-Eastern appearance"...
Under the new terrorism laws could Alan find himself afoul of them?
The new offence of "advocating terrorism" has been inserted in the Commonwealth Criminal Code with a five-year prison term. You will commit the new offence if you advocate the doing of a terrorist act or commission of a terrorism offence, and you are reckless as to whether anyone will actually do it.
"Advocate" means "counsels, promotes, encourages or urges". The definition of a terrorist act is breathtakingly wide. If you thought advocating terrorism means telling people to commit violence for political or religious ends, well, no. A terrorist act is one that causes death or physical harm or serious property damage, or endangers life, or creates a serious health or public safety risk, or seriously interferes with, disrupts or destroys an electronic system.
In 2007, the Australian Communications and Media Authority found that he had broadcast material that was likely to encourage violence or brutality and to vilify people of Lebanese and Middle-Eastern backgrounds on the basis of ethnicity. He had, among other things, read out a text message saying "every Aussie in the Shire get down to North Cronulla to support the leb and wog bashing day".
Read the definitions carefully and recall just what happened in Cronulla in 2005. If this new law is passed, and Jones does the same again, the question might well arise as to whether he's been advocating terrorism. It's almost worth doing just for the sweet irony.