We post about Bill Leak‘s extremely stupid cartoons a lot, but I would be more than willing to confess something fairly large: a huge portion of Australia simply do not give much of a shit either way. There are those who don’t care he publishes moronic racist screeds, and they also don’t think he’s the final battleground for free speech. It’s a collective ‘meh’.
Which is why it’s extremely funny to see an op-ed in The Australian this morning backing the calls from fellow conservative cartoonist Paul Zanetti to kickstart a literal ‘Je Suis Bill Leak’ movement.
Have just updated my profile pic. It will stay there until Sect 18C is repealed. Feel free to copy and share. #auspol#BillLeak@timsout pic.twitter.com/XeoGP36GMq
— Zanetti Cartoons (@ZanettiCartoons) October 19, 2016
After Leak faced a Human Rights Commission complaint over his cartoons, the Oz has been gearing up for a war – and they’re waging it in the straight up most cretinous way possible. Yes, there are perfectly legitimate grounds to argue that Leak ought to be able to publish what he wants under the provisions of free speech.
But comparing some bloke who draws Chinese people with enormous buck teeth and conical hats and cops a few angry tweets about it to the murdered Charlie Hebdo cartoonists does come across as extremely stupid. Op-ed writer James Allen elaborates:
You might think the millions who emoted “Je suis Charlie” for some French cartoonists might summon up the gumption to yell “Je suis Bill Leak” for a man who simply drew a cartoon of the plight of Aboriginal children with one Aboriginal ne’er-do-well and one Aboriginal policeman. No, “that offends me,” cried the zealots as they invoked 18C and brought Leak under the aegis of this abomination of a law.
It’s great how Leak is held up as some deeply compassionate bloke who merely cares about the plight of Aboriginal children, despite the fact he has a long and storied of plainly racist cartoonists about Aboriginals – far, far worse than the one that’s copped so much airtime:
Wage your culture war if you’re keen – but I reckon this might be the wrong tack.
Source: The Australian.
Photo: Bill Leak.
