Australia First Party

[Rev.Cambeul]

Report from MSM ...

Members of the United Patriots Front have extolled their anti-Islamic beliefs as they clashed with protesters and media in fiery scenes outside a Melbourne court.

Video showed the far-right group's masked supporters as they cheered "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi," and unfurled a Donald Trump flag in front of a large police presence this morning.

A man in the far-right group punched a camera operator in the stomach while another grabbed a protester's phone and threw it on the ground.

Opposing protesters shouted, "Muslims welcome, racists not," as they held placards emblazoned with crossed-out swastikas.

It came after United Patriots Front leader Blair Cottrell, 35, and supporters Neil Erikson, 32, and Christopher Shortis, 45, faced Melbourne Magistrates' Court accused of offending Muslims.

The trio are facing charges under Victoria's racial vilification laws after a mock beheading of an effigy during protests against a Bendigo mosque in 2015.

They are accused of making a video aiming to incite contempt for Muslims and defacing a footpath and garden bed wall at the city's council offices.

"We happen to be charged because we had the audacity to question a certain doctrine of Islam," Mr Shortis said outside court.

"We did the mock beheading to alert the fact that Bendigo residents were concerned about Muslim immigration into this country.

"Because there is a correlation between increased numbers and increased acts of terrorism."

Mr Erikson said he is going to subpoena Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Police Commissioner Graham Ashton to give evidence in the case.

"They have pushed for this case. I think it's a conspiracy against right-wing politics," he said.

"Daniel Andrews has a lot of skeletons in his closet. He had a hand in this and we all know it."

Facing court without legal representation, Mr Cottrell said the case was weak and a waste of time, and should be thrown out.

But the magistrate said the case must go ahead and it will return to court on September 4.

Source: http://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/05/23/13/53/supporters-of-far-right-group-clash-with-protesters-outside-melbourne-court

[Rev.Cambeul]

Some truthful information about the court battle yesterday

From

https://www.facebook.com/Blaircottrell89

https://www.facebook.com/Blaircottrell89/videos/1954990384781080/

[Rev.Cambeul]

Court appearance overshadowed by Muslim bombing in Manchester ...

https://www.facebook.com/AusFirstParty/posts/1458222907585935

Sometimes, even Reds admit to an inalienable right to Freedom of Speech ...

https://www.facebook.com/AusFirstParty/posts/1458320170909542

[Rev.Cambeul]

https://www.facebook.com/AusFirstParty/posts/1528442620563963

[Rev.Cambeul]

https://twitter.com/blaircottrell89

https://twitter.com/blaircottrell89/status/904919270009708544
https://twitter.com/blaircottrell89/status/904918913653153797
https://twitter.com/blaircottrell89/status/904894647159316480
https://twitter.com/UnitedNationali/status/904976844704825344

[Br.IanVonTurpie]

Three men who made a video of a mock beheading with cries of 'Allahu Akbar' to urge people to rally against a proposed mosque in Bendigo, have become the first people convicted under Victoria's Racial and Religious Tolerance Act.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/united-patriots-front-members-defend-mock-beheading-stunt/news-story/7bcfeac17f751d863d765fd4507c3936

Blair Cottrell, the leader of the far-right activist group United Patriots Front, Christopher Shortis and Neil Erikson were charged with knowingly engaging in conduct with the intention of inciting serious contempt for, or revulsion of a class of persons, namely Muslims.

The men appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates Court for a contested hearing of the charge relating to the October 2015 video which was posted on the United Patriots Front Facebook page.

Today Magistrate John Hardy found the trio guilty and ordered each man to pay a $2000 fine.

He said he rejected the submission by Mr Shortis that the video dealt with a tenet of Islam and the beheading, not the religion itself.

He said he accepted prosecution submissions that in this case it was not necessary to prove that the video would incite such responses or that it did so, only that it was intended to incite contempt or revulsion.

Mr Hardy said in his view the video was made in effect to induce as many like-minded persons as possible to attend their rally.

The three men have indicated their intention to appeal the judgement.

Earlier, the men claimed the stunt beheading a mock dummy was an act of free speech rather than religious vilification.

The Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions has effectively charged the three men with blasphemy over their participation in a video which depicted a beheading of a mannequin and the shouting of "Allahu Akbar'', one of the men has told the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

Christopher Shortis is charged along with United Patriots Front leader Blair Cottrell and Neil Erikson with knowingly engaging in conduct with the intention of inciting serious contempt for or revulsion of a class of people, namely Muslims, under the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act.

The men faced the court today in relation to the video they made in October 2015 which promoted a rally opposing the building of a mosque in Bendigo.

The court yesterday heard the prosecution case regarding the cost of cleaning up the fake blood which spilled from the effigy and the men were expected to take the witness stand today.

However this morning the trio told Magistrate John Hardy they had changed their minds and would not be giving evidence in the witness box.

Instead, the three launched into submissions to the Magistrate about why criticising an extremist practice was not intended to incite contempt, revulsion or ridicule for Muslims as a group.

In closing submissions prosecutor Fran Dalziel said the additional charges of wilful damage and defacing property were alternative charges to the incitement charge.

She said the men played to the camera which showed they were aware of their actions and their words in thanking Bendigo for building a mosque demonstrated the video was clearly directed to Muslims.

She said the beheading of the mannequin with the phrase "Allahu Akbar" and the wearing of a Middle Eastern headdress further contributed to the charge.

Prosecutor Ms Dalziel said the beheading itself clearly referenced well publicised and tragic acts of terrorists purporting to act in the name of Islam.

"They are imputing acts of terrorists as part of general acts of Islam," she said.


More at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/sep/05/united-patriots-front-trio-say-beheading-stunt-during-bendigo-mosque-protest-an-act-of-free-speech

http://www.standard.net.au/story/4903232/court-told-mock-beheading-was-not-meant-to-stir-up-hate/?cs=7

http://www.newsjs.com/au/united-patriots-front-members-guilty-of-inciting-contempt-of-muslims/dFRW00SZF3KJboM15UGgv-A0xL9BM

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/united-patriots-front-trio-claim-beheading-video-stunt-was-act-of-free-speech/news-story/af6e2ef331d46130112d6826d7fcc50a

http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/4904394/far-right-trio-convicted-fined-2000-each

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-05/three-men-found-guilty-of-inciting-serious-contempt-for-muslims/8874804

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/farright-trio-convicted-fined-2000-each-over-mockbeheading-mosque-protest-20170905-gybdei.html

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/court-told-mock-beheading-was-not-to-stir-up-hate-just-inspire-robust-debate-20170905-gyb3df.html