“That’s garbage”: Tony Jones clashes with organiser of anti-racism protest

Tony Jones has clashed with the organiser of a anti-racism rally over her group’s planned protest directed at politicians and the media.

Federation of Community Legal Centre organised a rally at State Parliament this week, the purpose of which they said was ‘to avoid a repeat of a racially-motivated attack that followed a political scare campaign hauntingly familiar to what we are seeing now’.

Melanie Poole from the Legal Centre told Tony Jones Liep Gony was a young man killed in Noble Park in 2007 by two white men.

“The focus is on remembering Liep but also drawing attention to the reasons why Liep was killed,” she said.

“Liep’s death was a racially motivated attack.

“He was randomly selected purely on the basis that he was black, by a couple of white men who were worked up by a lot of the political and media rhetoric at the time.

“Which was very similar to the type of rhetoric that we’ve been seeing lately.”

Click PLAY to hear the full interview

“But that’s not how the sentencing judge saw it,” Tony pointed out.

“I quote: ‘I am not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that your actions were so racially motivated and that racism per se was a motive for the attack’.

“Are you saying that judge was racist?”

“No I’m saying our courts struggle to deal with racism,” she replied.

“There has absolutely been very cynical political decision made to use African Australians as a device to divide Australians.”

“That’s garbage Melanie,” Tony said.

“The only reason there’s division at the moment is because there’s fear at the moment of these gangs.”