Andrew Bolt: ‘Reconciliation’ movement trashes our nation and divides us more by the day

An Anglican priest has been appointed co-chair of the government-funded Reconciliation Victoria, despite threatening to “exterminate” non-Aboriginals. It’s time to end this race politics before people get hurt.

Australians two years ago voted no to dividing us by race, but the “reconciliation” racket rolls on, dividing us more by the day.

Take Glenn Loughrey, an Anglican priest and canon who’s just been appointed co-chair of the government-funded Reconciliation Victoria, despite threatening to “exterminate” non-Aborigines, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Is there a better example of how the “reconciliation” movement just makes things worse, not better?

For one, it encourages people like Loughrey to divide into tribes.

Loughrey is fair-skinned and most of his ancestors are actually white, but he identifies as Aboriginal, in the modern way.

The Anglican Church rewarded his race identification by making him its Archdeacon for Reconciliation, First Nations Recognition and Treaty, even though his preaching seems to me to drive us further apart.

Again, that’s the “reconciliation” movement all over. You can’t be a “reconciliation” activist without insisting races here are in some imaginary war, and the more extreme abuse of Australia gets the most attention.

Victorian Anglican priest Canon Glenn Loughrey has preached that ‘Australia is a racist country’. Picture: Facebook

Sure enough, Loughrey has preached that “Australia is a racist country”.

Then, two months ago, he really cut loose with the abuse, after Albanese said he’d at least “had a crack” at trying to get Australians to vote for his Voice, an Aboriginal-only advisory parliament, written into our constitution.

For some reason, Loughrey went right off. This man of God and “reconciliation” wrote a most ungodly post on Instagram attacking Albanese’s failed Voice campaign as a “political ploy to maintain the status quo for the white supremacist genocidal settler colonial bullshit that pretends to be democratic”.

He added: “We, the First Peoples of this land, … now declare that those who are not First People are unworthy of welcome and residence and demand that you go back to where you came from …

“If you fail to do so then further steps to exterminate you, as you did and continue to do to us, may be implemented.”

A fellow Anglican priest was so disgusted by this abuse and apparent threat that he contacted his church and the police, who took no action.

Strange, that. I cannot imagine the police sitting on their hands if someone threatened to exterminate Aborigines, Muslims, immigrants or gays, but it seems there’s two-tier justice for “reconciliation” activists.

True, Loughrey did soon remove his post, but without a word of apology. Instead, he posed as a victim: “It has been suggested that its content will be flagged and that people will use it against me”.

Loughrey has apologised for his post, saying ‘it was a stupid thing to say’. Picture: Facebook

The first time I heard Loughrey apologise was after I wrote to him last weekend to asked what he meant by taking steps to “exterminate” non-Aborigines, and whether this was a Christian thing to say.

Suddenly Loughrey was very sorry: “I apologise unreservedly for my post. It was a stupid thing to say. It was made in a moment of frustration and does not reflect my beliefs or intentions, particularly towards the Prime Minister.”

He said he’d “continue to work for reconciliation”.

Hmm. I have often written in frustration, yet never threatened to exterminate anyone.

But this priest and “reconciliation” activist did, which doesn’t makes him the kind of guy to reconcile me to whatever brand of race politics he’s pushing.

He strikes me instead as a man of anger, with an inflammatory contempt for his country. Not a peacemaker, but a soldier in a race war made worse by his violent rhetoric.

Yet we again have that double standard. Loughrey’s church has not sacked him. Reconciliation Victoria says it continues to “strongly support” him.

Race-baiting Senator Lidia Thorpe, who identifies as Aboriginal despite seven of her eight great grandparents being white, declares ‘this is war’. Picture: Martin Ollman

The Victorian Labor government, hellbent on negotiating a treaty with Loughrey’s help before it’s kicked out of office, washed its hands of his comments, saying it hadn’t appointed Loughrey and his position was not taxpayer-funded.

Seriously? This government gives Reconciliation Victoria $200,000 a year. Isn’t it responsible, at least in part, for what it’s funding?

The Loughrey example of “reconciliation” is not atypical.

Race-baiting Senator Lidia Thorpe, who identifies as Aboriginal despite seven of her eight great grandparents being white, declares “this is war”.

Reconciliation Australia trashes Australia, claiming our “colonial history is characterised by devastating land dispossession, violence, and racism”.

Queensland University of Technology makes students of its Culture Studies – Indigenous Education course do a “privilege walk”, with whites singled out for this tribal shaming.

It cannot be a surprise after two decades of such “reconciliation” that we have angrier activists than ever, in a country that feels more divided than ever.

“Reconciliation” is a sham. End this race politics before people get hurt.

Originally published as Andrew Bolt: ‘Reconciliation’ movement trashes our nation and divides us more by the day