Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is setting up “local action groups” across Queensland as the party champions a former candidate and member of a white nationalist group who led a Rockhampton vigilante mob.
Last week, One Nation national secretary Damian Huxham introduced the party’s followers to the local action groups in an email with the subject line “CRIME: What challenges are you facing in your community?”
Huxham wrote that the groups would “help us act on important actions in each community”.
“When the going gets tough, One Nation gets serious. Australians have some very serious challenges to consider over their kitchen tables, including Labor’s housing cost increases, rampant crime, and tax hikes for middle-income earners,” the email said.
In the same email, Huxham introduced Torin O’Brien, a former One Nation election candidate who was also reportedly the national leader of the far-right, white-nationalist and anti-Islamic group the Patriots Defence League.
O’Brien made headlines earlier this month for leading an angry mob of people to surround a house in Rockhampton, which they believed belonged to two Indigenous people who the mob had accused of committing a crime. The group grew out of a Facebook group, now deleted, and other social media posts that hinted at violence in response to crime in the area.
Despite O’Brien’s history, Huxham introduced him as a “New Hero on the Block”.
“Frustrated with the lack of action, community members have taken it upon themselves to address this issue, with former One Nation candidate Torin O’Brien leading the charge in working with police to bring local criminals to justice,” Huxham wrote.
He specifically credited O’Brien with “raising awareness”, “urging action from law enforcement” and “challenging the status quo”.
When asked by Crikey, a spokesperson for One Nation, Richard Henderson, said the party was pleased to host a community forum with O’Brien.
“We commend our former candidate, Torin O’Brien, for his efforts to raise awareness and work with the community and local police to address the problem,” he said in an email.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Queensland Police Service leaders have warned against vigilantism as groups have popped up across the state. Earlier this week, an anonymous flier received by Mackay residents threatened to discipline youth who didn’t abide by a “community-enforced curfew”. Another man was arrested in Rockhampton attempting to pursue stolen cars with “edged weapons”, according to police.
Despite this, One Nation politicians have continued to promote citizens taking action against crime.
Yesterday, O’Brien posted to Instagram promoting an event with One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts titled “Let’s tackle the crime wave together”.
“The government won’t do anything, the police can’t do anything and those that act are stopped. There needs to be a good discussion and plans for the real people most damaged by this crime wave,” the caption read.
Henderson rejected that the event was about vigilantism.
“One Nation strongly supports the rule of Australian and Queensland law and does not condone or encourage vigilantism … it is an opportunity for the Rockhampton community and local authorities to openly and frankly discuss the impacts and causes of escalating crime in the area and what needs to be done to make the community safer,” he said.
O’Brien and Roberts have been approached for comment.
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