A defiant Senator Lidia Thorpe says she is not scared and has vowed to keep speaking out as she responded to a disturbing video by far-right extremists. The video posted on X, formerly Twitter, on October 3 referenced Thorpe and featured a man in a balaclava claiming to be from neo-Nazi group Warriors for Convict Resistance reading a statement endorsing “white Australia”. He then makes racist statements about First Nations people before burning the flag and performing a Nazi salute.
At a press conference soon after the senator’s remarks, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said “the Nazi rhetoric and statements have no place in Australian political life”. He had not heard Thorpe’s comments but he called on Australians to be respectful when discussing the referendum. With the vote to be held on October 14, politicians including Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil have grown more concerned about extremists spreading racism and misinformation.