Shut up – or else!

People are being silenced for having an opinion – and many are being intimidated and threatened with job losses or litigation!

Punishment comes in many different forms. By attending a public event, conservatives are often set upon by mobs of angry protesters from the left, who physically abuse and assault them, while the Police attending these events hand out costly bills to the organizers – not the violent thugs!

Having a different opinion to others, has resulted in legal action brought by those on the left, who cannot tolerate other points of view, and often use ‘discrimination’ as their weapon of choice. By voicing opinions that don’t fit the regressive narratives of the left exposes people to public vilification which has result in people losing their jobs and putting their families at risk.  The message is clear – SHUT UP or else you will be punished!

Everyone in Australia has the right to protest as this is a corner stone value of our democracy, however when protesting abandons all forms of respect for the law, public and personal property and people’s safety, then we believe it is not OK! Adding insult to attendees physical and emotional injury from the violent-left, is a lack of arrests by law enforcement agencies which rewards this unlawful behaviour!  Freedom of speech is fast becoming freedom to fight against those with a different opinion!

Sadly, there are many examples of this intolerance for others who exercise their right of ‘free speech’, and unless we stand up and demand the right to speak without fear of vilification or violent attack, we will lose even more freedoms. Recent events in Australia are painting on ugly picture for the future of this nation.

Visiting guest speakers have been met with the full force of the ‘Shut-Up or else’ brigade! 

Recently, attendees at Bettina Arndt’s presentation of the ‘Fake Rape Crisis at Australian Universities’ were prevented from entering the building and were mobbed and physically attacked. Riot Police had to be called to quell the students.

The long march of Cultural Marxism through our educational institutions has produced a growing refusal to tolerate any difference of opinion and both University professors and students alike, engage in silencing voices and opinions they do not want to hear! Taxpayer funded universities must ensure freedom of speech under their charter and code of conduct, yet these freedoms are becoming a distant memory (1)

Attendees of a Milo Yiannopolous event in December 2017, were mobbed and attacked. Police issued a $50,000 bill to Milo Yiannopolous because his event attracted violent protesters and the Police were required to attend to keep the peace. The bill was issued to the victims – not the violent thugs. (2)

Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux encountered a similar ‘lack of free speech’ welcome in Melbourne, July 2018. Attendees were attacked, threatened by Antifa and CAR thugs, buses were damaged, and the event organisers issued with a $65,000 bill from the Victorian Police. The bill was issued to the innocent – not the guilty.

The face-covered and well-muscled thugs at Antifa use the typical weapons of the intolerant left – threats, intimidation and violence against people attending [public events to ‘shut down free speech’ – from hearing information, ideas and concepts they cannot understand, or that they disagree with! Words must be powerful weapons if Antifa and the left wish to stop them being used by others! (3)

Innocent people are having to defend themselves in court for simply making a comment!

Five years ago, QUT student, Callum Thwaites, found an innocent comment had terrible personal and legal consequences, when he and his mates were thrown out a computer room at QUT campus in 2013. QUT employee Cindy Prior attempted to sue Callum Thwaites and his two mates under section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, for $250,000, after posting comments on Facebook about being asked to leave an Indigenous-only computer room. Thwaites and his fellow students were embroiled in what has become known as the ‘Indigenous Only Students’ computer lab case’ and is a sobering insight into what is happening in our universities.

He became the subject of litigation in the Federal Circuit Court.  Tony Morris QC took on this case and won, but not without great personal, economic and social costs to the three students. AHRC President Gillian Triggs was unapologetic for this over- reach of power and lack of free speech. (4)

In May 2016, Archbishop Porteous of Tasmania’s Catholic Church found by advocating the church’s position on Same Sex Marriage in a booklet distributed to parishioners, earned him a legal summons.  Activist, Greens candidate and transgender-woman, Martine Delaney, made a complaint to the Anti-Discrimination Commission. She said the Don’t Mess with Marriage booklet, was, in her opinion, offensive, humiliating and insulting. The case was dropped, however in July 2018, the issue of difference of opinions and free speech remains, with the church itself imposing restrictions on Archbishop Porteous from speaking at events about the church’s position on marriage! (5)

In May 2016, Lee Jones, a Melbourne IT specialist engaged to work on the Safe Schools program was sacked after privately expressing concerns about the controversial school program during a staff meeting. His employer then later accusing him of creating an unsafe work environment. Lee Jones, a Christian, who was general manager of a business at the time, had told his boss he would work on the project despite his views, but regardless of his willingness to cooperate he lost his job. (6)

Get attacked or express a political opinion?  Get charged by the Police.

Then in 2018, there is the case of a young man getting attacked by members of Antifa outside a bookstore. Thugs came out of the bookstore and set upon the young man with broken Fluro tubes and baseball bates, designed to deliver maximum harm. The NSW Police then charged the young man with ‘affray’ for defending himself. This young man had to engage a Barrister, at his own cost, to defend himself in court.

Again in 2018, another young man exercising his ‘freedom of opinion’ by staging a peaceful, political statement in Bendigo Victoria, has been charged under Victoria’s “Blasphemy Laws” for belittling Islam.  Once again, this young man has had to engage a Barrister to defend himself in court.

As this case is sub-judice names have been withheld.

Free speech is becoming Unaffordable- under ‘Lawfare’ attack

In most cases charges brought against people for expressing their opinions and freedom of speech under state Anti-Discrimination Laws are financed by taxpayers. Many of these charges have been found to be vexatious and discriminatory in themselves, but that has not stopped charges being laid multiple times. The issue of offense is subjective and therefore open to interpretation, and therefore abuse.

The accused however get no such benefits and many have had to sell their house, furniture, cars and any other belongings they own, just to pay for their right to have an opinion!

In a free, democratic and open society, free speech should be FREE. It is not free, and many are paying the price for having expressed an opinion.

Those caught up in the insidious web of anti-discrimination law need our help.

Funding Lawfare to protect free speech

Our lawyers at Rite- On! are working pro-bono, helping everyday Australians navigate the expensive legal minefield, however, court filings costs are high and travel expenses necessary to defend these cases.  The filing fees alone run into the thousands!  We are asking you in dip in today with whatever you can afford, to build a war chest for legal costs to keep Freedom of Speech alive.

Dip in here………………. to help fund legal cases against free speech!

 

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZLMRdGor88
2. https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/milo-yiannopoulos-and-tour-organisers-yet-to-pay-50k-bill-for-extra-police-at-show-20180716-p4zrua.html
3. https://www.freespeechcoalition.info/thugsveto
4. https://theconversation.com/qut-discrimination-case-exposes-human-rights-commission-failings-68235
5. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/archbishop-hypocrisy-over-father-frank-brennans-samesex-speech-ban/news-story/e0ec7131185b200d1e93d423068c1e98
6. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/christians-under-siege-religious-freedom-inquiry-hears/news-story/7fd9b95abf53553556cb373fe8b64aec