The United Patriots Front is taking its political push throughout regional Australia, with rallies across regional NSW, including the town of Orange. The local paper, The Central Western Daily, has published two articles about the UPF, with a front-page headline “Residents’ message to anti-Islam group: Go somewhere else”.
In a video posted on the group’s Facebook page, UPF leader Blair Cottrell says he “confronts” a journalist about bias in the newspaper, as he stands over and interrupts her. “You have twisted our statements in this newspaper, you have interviewed community groups, self-appointed community groups … who are these people?” While one could ask the same question about the UPF, Cottrell claims that they are a “legitimate political organisation”. The journalist appears to be unaware that she is being filmed until she says ”you’re recording what I’m saying”. While she offers for Cottrell to sit down and invites him for a formal interview, he refuses, saying that he doesn’t trust the paper, and hasn’t got any straight answers. It’s a revealing clip.
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