Material published in ‘The Nation’, the newspaper of the Queensland division of One Nation, by consent of the editor and publisher of the newspaper, has been declared to be unlawful under the Racial Discrimination Act, in the Federal Court today.
An article alleged Jews are running a conspiracy to steal freedoms from ordinary people, using a combination of pornography and internet censorship, and was accompanied by a gross anti-Jewish cartoon.
The complaint was lodged by Jeremy Jones, who at the time of the publication was president of the Jewish community’s peak body, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), on behalf of the Council.
Jones argued an article and an accompanying cartoon published in Volume 4, Edition 10 of the newspaper in late 2004 was a public act which caused offence, insult, humiliation and/or intimidation to Jewish Australians, and failed to fall into any of the legal categories which might permit its publication.
Rodney Andrew Evans, who took responsibility for the publication of the article, agreed to a written statement of apology to Jeremy Jones, which read:
“Mr Rodney Andrew Evans hereby unreservedly and unconditionally apologises to you and the Australian Jewish community for having published material in contravention of the Racial Discrimination Act. I undertake that I will not publish any such material in the future and that all such material which is presently published by The Nation in any print or electronic media (including the Internet) will forthwith be withdrawn from publication”.
Mr Evans also agreed to be restrained from publishing similar material in the future.
The article, written by Carl D. Thompson, was described by Federal Minister Peter McGauran MP as one of the most obscene antisemitic articles he had ever seen associated with a political party. Len Harris, who was a senator representing One Nation when the material was published, said “There is only one place the One Nation newspaper should be, and that is an incinerator”.
“All Australian governments, national, state and territory, have recognised that limited legislation designed to protect ethnic, national and ethno-religious groups from defamation, harassment and intimidation strengthens, rather than threatens, democracy”, Mr. Jones said.
“It is a sad reality that a small number of individuals within Australia promote prejudice, discrimination, fear and harassment, and the law provides a measure of relief for victims of their actions,” Mr. Jones added.
An article alleged Jews are running a conspiracy to steal freedoms from ordinary people, using a combination of pornography and internet censorship, and was accompanied by a gross anti-Jewish cartoon.
The complaint was lodged by Jeremy Jones, who at the time of the publication was president of the Jewish community’s peak body, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), on behalf of the Council.
Jones argued an article and an accompanying cartoon published in Volume 4, Edition 10 of the newspaper in late 2004 was a public act which caused offence, insult, humiliation and/or intimidation to Jewish Australians, and failed to fall into any of the legal categories which might permit its publication.
Rodney Andrew Evans, who took responsibility for the publication of the article, agreed to a written statement of apology to Jeremy Jones, which read:
“Mr Rodney Andrew Evans hereby unreservedly and unconditionally apologises to you and the Australian Jewish community for having published material in contravention of the Racial Discrimination Act. I undertake that I will not publish any such material in the future and that all such material which is presently published by The Nation in any print or electronic media (including the Internet) will forthwith be withdrawn from publication”.
Mr Evans also agreed to be restrained from publishing similar material in the future.
The article, written by Carl D. Thompson, was described by Federal Minister Peter McGauran MP as one of the most obscene antisemitic articles he had ever seen associated with a political party. Len Harris, who was a senator representing One Nation when the material was published, said “There is only one place the One Nation newspaper should be, and that is an incinerator”.
“All Australian governments, national, state and territory, have recognised that limited legislation designed to protect ethnic, national and ethno-religious groups from defamation, harassment and intimidation strengthens, rather than threatens, democracy”, Mr. Jones said.
“It is a sad reality that a small number of individuals within Australia promote prejudice, discrimination, fear and harassment, and the law provides a measure of relief for victims of their actions,” Mr. Jones added.
“The publication of grotesque anti-Jewish defamation in the newspaper of a political party, which at the time had a federal senator and a number of members of state legislatures, could not be allowed to pass unchallenged”, Mr. Jones said.
The ECAJ had previously fought, and won, Racial Hatred complaints, against Olga Scully of Tasmania and Frederick Toben of Adelaide, in the Federal Court of Australia. Transcripts of those cases can be found on the ECAJ website under the heading “Racial Hatred Cases”.
Further information: Jeremy Jones AM, Immediate Past President E‑mail: ecaj@tig.com.au
Mobile: 0411 536 436
The ECAJ had previously fought, and won, Racial Hatred complaints, against Olga Scully of Tasmania and Frederick Toben of Adelaide, in the Federal Court of Australia. Transcripts of those cases can be found on the ECAJ website under the heading “Racial Hatred Cases”.
Further information: Jeremy Jones AM, Immediate Past President E‑mail: ecaj@tig.com.au
Mobile: 0411 536 436
