Susie O’Brien: Why hate preacher Gavin McInnes must be banned from entering Australia

FAR-right white supremacists are infiltrating our political system, so it makes no sense to allow one of the most divisive, dangerous bigots in modern times to come here and spread his racist rhetoric, writes Susie O’Brien.

Gavin McInnes is the founder of the violent, alt-right group Proud Boys.

FAR-right white supremacists are infiltrating our political system, so it makes no sense to allow one of the most divisive, dangerous bigots in modern times to come here and spread his racist rhetoric.

The federal government needs to ban Gavin McInnes, founder of the violent, alt-right group Proud Boys, from entering this country for a speaking tour next week.

The Proud Boys only admit men as members and advocate violence as a way to preserve so-called “Western values”.

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It’s the last thing we need at a time when the NSW National Party has singled out 35 of its members who have links to far-right and white supremacist groups.

Such individuals, who have been posing with white-power symbols, have shared social media posts praising the Holocaust and Hitler. Some are members of far-right groups such as The New Guard and Antipodean Resistance.

It’s understood to be part of a wider push from alt-right figures to infiltrate Australian political parties in order to influence their agendas from within.

Allowing McInnes entry to our country will merely fuel such groups and lead to violence altercations.

Victorian Proud Boys like to suggest McInnes is only here to “drink beer and talk about politics” but appearances overseas suggest there’s a lot more to it than that.

At this stage McInnes is due to come to Melbourne on November 7 for a show that’s being billed as a “unique blend of comedy and politics”. Don’t believe it.

McInnes is an outright advocate for violence as a means to further his agenda. In a video about Proud Boys he says: “We will kill you, that is the Proud boys in a nutshell. We will kill you. We look nice, we seem soft, we have ‘boys’ in our name but … we will assassinate you.”

He’s also on the record as saying that “fighting solves everything”.

“We need more violence from the Trump people, Trump supporters. Choke a m---erf---er. Choke a b---ch. Choke a tr---ny. Get your fingers around a windpipe. Beating the s--t out of people? I think it’s our job to do it and the cops turn a blind eye. I want violence,” he said recently.

McInnes is also on record for espousing anti-Islamic, anti-Jewish and anti-female views.

He thinks “Muslims are stupid” and women want to be “downright abused”.

He also once made a video called “Ten things I hate about the Goddam MotherF----ing Jews”.

Back in 2011 he published an article justifying the use of terms such as f----t, n-----r and s--t.

There is nothing funny about this man, believe me.

Making matters worse, McInnes and his Proud Boys are locked in an international war with their left-wing counterparts, Antifa.

With Antifa’s stance just as extreme, but at the other end of the political spectrum, it’s just a matter of time before there’s violence on our streets.

Appearances by McInnes is likely to stir up both extreme groups. Members of Proud Boys are encouraged to get into a fight to prove adherence to the cause: “you get beat up, kick the crap out of an Antifa,” McInnes said recently.

Indeed, anti-fascists and Proud Boys clashed in New York last week where McInnes was celebrating the anniversary of the assassination of Inejiro Asanuma, leader of the Japan Socialist Party in 1960.

McInnes called the murder an act an “inspiring moment”.

A video shot outside on the street shows a Proud Boy bragging about his violent acts: “Dude, I had one of their fucking heads, and I was just fucking smashing it in the pavement!” 

“That son of a bitch!” he says. “He was a f----ing foreigner.“

This is why we do not need McInnes here to be a rallying point for others of his ilk. Just as neo-Nazism has no place in our political system — or anywhere — McInnes has no place on our shores.

The success of the It’s Okay to be White vote — which was supported by many Coalition members — shows how desperate the beleaguered right have become in this country.

The Nationals need to get tough and expel any members with any extreme views or links, and Immigration Minister David Coleman needs to get tough and bar McInnes access to this country.

At the time of writing, more than 32,000 people have signed a change.org petition to try to stop McInnes from coming, and the momentum is growing.

Minister Coleman needs to take seriously section 501 of the Immigration Act which outlaws individuals who vilify members of the community, incite discord or become involved in activities that are violent or harmful.

Yes, we need freedom of speech, but this is not an unfettered right. It must be balanced against responsibility and safety.

If the government has denied entry to whistleblower Chelsea Manning, anti-vaxxers and rapper Skepta, then it is only right that McInnes and his violent brand of politics is banned as well.

— Susie O’Brien is a Herald Sun columnist

@susieob