WHAT THE HELL DOES IT TAKE, PETE?

Peter FitzSimons in 2014: “If calling a black man a ‘gorilla’ and an ‘ape’ is not racial abuse, what the hell does it take?”

South African Zunaid Wadee - a "gorilla", according to Peter FitzSimons

Peter FitzSimons in 2014: “If calling a black man a ‘gorilla’ and an ‘ape’ is not racial abuse, what the hell does it take?”

And Peter FitzSimons in 2016 – calling a black man a gorilla, and denying it’s racial abuse:

Was saving this for #Viewpoint but @andrewboltsblog mentioned it. Imagine if a non-Lefty had said it. https://t.co/mvlnpDx4Oq

— Chris Kenny (@chriskkenny) November 24, 2016

FitzSimons’s exact words, in reference to South African security guard Zunaid Wadee:

That was disgraceful. If you are touring in a foreign country, you are visitors to their shores, to have your gorilla throw that guy – and I say gorilla in the sense of security, you know … in Australian terminology a gorilla is a security guard.

Peter’s knowledge of Australian terminology is limited. I spoke to a security guard about this last night. “I’ve never heard of any of us being called gorillas,” he said. “You’d be in a bit of trouble if you said that, because half of us are Maoris and Tongans.”

Human Rights Commission complaints may be filed here.

UPDATE. Daniel Lewkovitz, CEO of Sydney security firm Calamity, emails:

As a security professional of two decades' experience I must take exception to Peter FitzSimons’s suggestion that "in Australian terminology a gorilla is a security guard."

I was once interviewed by the Daily Telegraph and noted that the heads of security risk-management for some of the country’s most famous landmarks and large organisations are women. I wonder if FitzSimons would dare call them gorillas?

Moreover, at Calamity, we employ a number of people with disabilities and my team includes quadriplegic and blind workers who have, quite literally, saved lives and won awards for doing so. Are they gorillas too?

Our company last week was awarded the Optus Mybusiness Award for Personal and Business Services Provider of the Year. I note that Taronga Zoo gorillas Kibali, Frala, Mbeli and Johari were not. Nor was the late Harambe even nominated.

I have no no idea which security workers (or for that matter gorillas) FitzSimons has been associating with. My only guess is that his apparent dislike of security workers may stem from being told "you can't come in with that thing on your head".

UPDATE II. Senator Corey Bernardi:

Must have been 'dress like a pirate, talk like a racist hypocrite day' https://t.co/nvtjKSGu8N

— Cory Bernardi (@corybernardi) November 25, 2016

FitzSimons has so far declined to comment on the issue, preferring to discuss weight loss rather than catastrophic credibility loss.