File spoon-archives/postcolonial.archive/postcolonial_2001/postcolonial.0111, message 22


From: "Emma Nelms" <s320656-AT-student.uq.edu.au>
Subject: censorship in Australia
Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2001 10:42:43 +1000


This came through on the ABC news mail (Australian equivalent of BBC or
PBS). I find it shocking that candidates in the upcoming election are being
publicly censured by the government & their parties for stating something
which I perceived as  completely uncontroversial statements of 'fact'. It
doesn't justify the attacks but I am bewildered as to comprehend what the
official US & allies' line is to explain the situation. Whilst anything is
possible in America are similar incident occurring in other allied
countries?
a popular Aboriginal boxer & Muslim convert stated similar sentiments,
failed to retract them & was knocked out of the boxing federation.

it's also depressing to note that Australia's PM John Howard's particularly
harsh response to attempted landings by boat people, mainly from Afghanistan
& Iraq, has saved him from defeat & brought his party to new heights of
popularity with a Labor opposition that has only supported his stance on
such issues. the connection between the situation in Afghanistan & the
arrival of refugees seems not to be made or else people simply do not care.

Peace, Emma

-----Original Message-----
From: ABC News Online - Bi-daily bulletin mailing list
Sent: Friday, 2 November 2001 6:01 PM

...

*Second candidate under fire for terrorist comments*

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has taken a second Labor candidate to
task over comments he made about the terrorist attacks in the United
States.

Labor's candidate in the southern New South Wales seat of Gilmore, Peter
Knott, has apologised for saying the United States is now paying the
price for training and arming Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.

Last month, Labor's candidate in the northern South Australian seat of
Grey, Con O'Neill, told a television program that many commentators
would start saying the attacks had been provoked by American foreign
policy.

Mr Downer says although Mr O'Neill did not directly make the statement,
he cannot distance himself from it.




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