Rita Panahi: Voice debate showcases Left’s vile cruelty at its worst

The events of the past 48 hours represent a callous and cruel new low even by the Australian Left’s deplorably low standards.

The race-based referendum is exposing the true colours of some Yes advocates and it’s sadly one ugly spectacle.

They began the debate by smearing opponents of the Voice as “racist” while simultaneously playing the victim.

But the events of the past 48 hours represent a new low even by the Australian Left’s deplorably low standards.

One would hope that after No advocate Warren Mundine spoke about being driven to the brink of suicide by the racial abuse he has copped from some Yes campaigners that his ideological opponents would back off, express some sympathy or at the very least opt for a period of silence.

No advocate Warren Mundine has spoken out about being driven to the brink of suicide by racial abuse. Picture: Adam Yip

But sadly, many who pride themselves on being morally superior and “on the right side of history” doubled down on the attacks against a man who has shown enormous courage in detailing his struggle.

The former Liberal candidate and national president of the Labor Party told me on Sunday

it was abuse from those he had known for years that was particularly painful.

“You looked at Noel Pearson’s comments and he made a dreadful racist comment against me in The Australian,” he said on Sky News.

“You’ve got him, you’ve got Marcia Langton who I’ve known for 30 years … it’s not like they’re the fringe and so that really hurt me.”

Mundine said he was hurt by Noel Pearson’s comments. Picture: Liam Kidston

For around three terrible months Mundine struggled with suicidal ideation.

“I planned it twice … I went out to the backyard because I’ve got a 20m drop at the back of my house and so I went out and I was going to throw myself over.

“And I just laid in the rain thinking about it and I thought about my family. Another time I got off the plane in Sydney and just walked straight into the office and was going to the 30th floor and throw myself off but again I thought about my family and I thought about what that would do to them and stopped myself.”

The response from the hard Left was predictably vile, including ABC regular Paul Bongiorno who tweeted: “This is transparent, blatant politics. Hardly worth a second of sympathy. Only the gullible and opportunistic racists will fall for it.”

The callousness and cruelty show the depths of iniquity some will sink into in pursuit of their political goals.