New South Wales Anti-Terrorism Unit Arrests YouTube Journalist

I think this is a pretty important developing story in relation to free speech.

At its core, its rather mundane - yet another liberal politician is accused of corruption, over-reacts and sues the person accusing them. Pretty standard fare in today's political climate.

Where the **** hit the fan was this extraordinary arrest of the friendly jordies producer by an anti-terrorist squad. Totally ridiculous and over the top, and you have to wonder, what does this say about the unit - as well as NSW police overall - and how much they are in the pocket of the NSW coalition government?

When politicians in Australia rushed to legislate in the wake of 9/11 and the commencement of the so-called ‘war on terror’, some of us warned that such legislation and the bureaucracy it created would be abused by police. We warned that the sorts of concepts and powers that anti-terror laws spawned would find their way into other areas of social control.

And so it has come to pass with the announcement that a comedian and YouTube creative Kristo Langker has been arrested and charged by New South Wales Police for allegedly stalking and intimidating the combative New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro.

Langker’s alleged ‘crimes’ have their genesis in a video for a YouTube channel called Friendlyjordies, which features comedian Jordan Shanks, and which claimed Mr Barilaro has been indulging in corrupt activities. Mr Barilaro strenuously denies the allegations and is taking legal action against Shanks and Google. Langker and Shanks attended a Macquarie University Politics in the Pub event and asked Barilaro why he was suing. Langker stayed on after Shanks left and according to police, tried to bustle his way through the audience to get closer to Barilaro. Then Langker, on June 4, approached Barilaro as the latter was leaving a funeral and asked him the same question. Langker was arrested and charged that day and is now on bail subject to strict conditions.

One could ask how what appears to be simply a form of protest that is often used by individuals and groups to confront politicians (I remember former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser being verbally abused and jostled at Monash University in 1981) has resulted in charges which carry jail terms. But leaving the questionable use of prosecutorial discretion and police resources aside, what is frightening – and that is the operative word – is that the New South Wales Police deployed what they call the Fixated Persons Investigations Unit (FPIU) to investigate Langker.​

Arrest of Kristo Langker represents gross misuse of resources and threat to our freedom of speech - Pearls and Irritations (johnmenadue.com)


Its worth watching the friendlyjordies video series on this, he is quite entertaining. In his videos, friendlyjordies makes a good case that his producer wasn't doing anything a "legitimate" journalist wouldn't be doing in pursuit of the truth. Yes, he may be a ratbag, but really how is it any different to what A current affair spent years doing to anyone they felt like harassing? Didn't see any plain clothed anti-terrorist goons jumping on them. I think there is an important question here about what is a journalist? Are we content with the seemingly orthodox view that only those hired by big news corporations are legit - and the law has carte blanche to harass and bully anyone else who pursues independent journalism? I don't. And by the way, the friendlyjordies producer actually has a press pass to the NSW parliament.

Apparently individuals or journalists getting too aggressive and verbally hounding a politician in two different places makes them suspect of being a crazy political extremist.


I highly question the civil liberties implications of even having such a unit.

It seems like they have created a whole special division for singling out and targeting individuals based on suspicious beliefs and values, especially if there are indications they may be gun owners.

Subjecting citizens for investigating and monitoring based on these type of criteria seems like beginning to cross a blurry line for individual freedoms, and I would imagine there's probably going to be a huge amount of political bias as well, with the investigations being more likely to target those closer to one side of political persuasion.


from the article:

"In 2017, the NSW Police Force created a special section, the Fixated Persons Investigations Unit (FPIU). Its remit, as advertised, was to plug a growing and scary gap in policing: lone-wolf violent (or potentially violent) offenders who have been showing signs of dangerous extremism but fall short of the threshold for terrorism.​

The target market, we were told, were the (mostly) men we traditionally refer to as "crazies". Individuals who have become obsessed with a single mad idea, a group in society or another person, and who are at risk of turning that obsession into acts of violence. An example might have been the man whose actions were part of the reason for the unit’s creation: Man Haron Monis, the Lindt cafe gunman.​

Two years after its formation, the FPIU had reportedly completed more than 100 investigations, charged 40 people and seized 31 firearms. It was, we were told, working well and achieving its purpose."​

This unit probably began the investigation, and then since they determined what they found could constitute something that was illegal, naturally they wanted to be the ones to make the arrest, but they are more of an anti-terrorism unit so were accustomed to much more heavy-handed tactics that were obviously blatantly overly excessive in this case.

 

I don't always agree with FriendlyJordies, in fact I rarely do - but I still watch his content, he is mostly well spoken and is not in any way a terrorist.

This is what happens when we give government emergency powers for whatever reason: they NEVER, EVER ratchet back down.

Our country is an absolute disgrace at the moment.

 

And it has NOTHING ato do with “free speech” and everything to do with harassment

Dear Gods where are you lot getting this twaddle?

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...o-stalking-john-barilaro-20210623-p583qy.html

We will see how this progresses in court

 

I do think they were being ridiculous when they chucked a sad when being arrested. Like it or not, you're getting arrested. The point of arrest is not the time to dispute charges.

But you should really look into this further, the harassment charges are frankly ridiculous given what he actually did, and Barilaro is a public figure who SHOULD be subject to strong criticism by his constituency.

This is from someone who wildly disagrees with just about everything their channel says or does.

If you defended a figure on the right from accusations I'd place more weight on your opinion because I'd know you have no bias in their favor. I am doing the same but in reverse.

 

Trump a republican loves to sue, it's even said he wanted to go after comedians that said mean things about him

 

Our prime minister, state premiers and ministers have very little personal security. Personal harassment is a big no-no. Just don't do it.

Chucking a whoopsie when you get arrested is not endearing. Actually, it's just plain dumb.

 

Good old 9/11... the gift that keeps on giving to the Authoritarians....buildings are attacked in New York and the goose steppin' wannabes Down Under leap on the bandwagon too. What do you Aussies call your version of "The Patriot Act"?

 

When did John Barilaro become a 'liberal politician'? Did I miss a tectonic shift in political definitions?

 

Lol. I think it's the usual confused liberal with Liberal thing. Poor @kazenatsu will have to change his narrative now

 

But he isn't even one of those. He's the leader of the NSW National Party. Not exactly a secret and the farthest thing from a 'liberal' in the Australian political mainstream.

 

True. I forgot that myself. Victorian here!

 

Me too. No excuse!

 

Have you heard about that surveillance bill rushed through Parliament beware your country is becoming fascist.

 

Fixated Persons Unit is not simply a terrorist unit. The unit was created to investigate and monitor people who do not fall into the anti-terrorism laws but still may pose a risk to society and individuals. Created to investigate not only extremist behaviour but intimidation, harassment and stalking all of which do not remain only to terrorism.

So, the argument that he was arrested on terrorism laws fails.

Honestly, I have to ask, Why do you believe the NSW police are so corrupt as to lay charges only on the hearsay of 1 politician??? I know the videos he posted accusing Mr Barilaro and the Liberal\national Coalition as being corrupt has not stood the slightest examination for truth. I am sure that an independent body requested to investigate alleged criminal activity made the decision to prosecute this arrest and potential prosecution. NOT a government entity or person. You know the Police??? I wonder what they got paid???

Although when we examine Jordan Shanks past , I think you will understand why he has the hard on for Nationals and especially the person who Sacked him. I remember the comment made, that an elected representative should show respect the party and the position he was elected to, in which Mr Shanks replied “there is nobody there who deserves respect”. One would think, the people who elected you to the position would be people to shoe respect to. The position you are elected to might also be. BUT Shanks did not consider these people worth any effort… maybe respect of people might be something, Not for Shanks, who clearly cares nothing of the people whom he steps on to attack his targets… But hey this has nothing to do with Shanks has it???


As for free speech, of which this was claimed to attack, nice try. I guess we consider stalking, harassing and intimidating of anybody as an attack on free speech regardless of the predatory nature of crime. Women are stalked by predators, ATTACK OF FREE SPEECH, children stalked by paedophiles, ATTACK ON FREE SPEECH.


Let us condemn the use of a unit who were tasked to investigate, charge and try prevent these crimes as attacking free speech, because it suites the purpose somebody wants to put on it… Wish to talk about corruption??? ME thinks an attempt is being made here…

 

9/11 did not really affect us much

 

Is there a single topic under the Sun you won't attempt to deflect to Trump about?

Jesus Christ man give it a rest it's on the other side of the globe.

 

don't take it so personal, Trump sucked, it's not your fault

this WAS the topic
... "At its core, its rather mundane - yet another liberal politician is accused of corruption, over-reacts and sues the person accusing them. Pretty standard fare in today's political climate."

thus talking about Trump loving to sue is on topic, don't want to open that door, don't blame the entire left as if it's something only they do

 

I'm sure you could connect Trump to a cake recipe What's it like to see Trump in literally everything?

 

if you said only liberal diets sucked, I would point to Trump's fast food diet.. sure

what's it like to always feel you have to defend Trump?

I posted that on Sep 2, 2021, and you're just now seeing it and getting upset, lol

 

Lol, you hardly ever post without a deflection to Trump

 

you hardly post without defending Trump or attacking the left

 

Although you could technically be correct, I believe these sort of actions, given the situation, should be seen as sort of falling in the same category as free speech.

Everything you are referring to, "stalking", "harassing", and "intimidating" almost entirely falls into the category of this man verbally confronting the politician at various speaking arrangements.

That's a disingenuous analogy. I think a little bit of different rules apply to a politician or public figure when showing up at speaking functions.

 

In which case the courts will sort it.
Oh! And there is no “ right to free speech” anywhere in Australian law. Not part of the constitution ~ well at least we think not. Problem with our constitution is that bloody few people have ever managed to read past the first few paragraphs. We could market it as an insomnia cure

 

After they've arrested him??

Well I have difficulty imagining how any democracy could function without some form of free speech or freedom of the press.

 

Lol, I know a fabrication when I hear one