It’s Melbourne community radio station 3CR’s annual radiothon!
The theme of this year’s radiothon is ‘Keep Community Strong’.
3CR is a dynamic, community hub that has produced radio since 1976.
3CR broadcasters present around 125 radio programs every week, with 20 community language shows in 13 different languages, and 10 hours of Indigenous programming, and listeners can tune in on 855AM, stream live through the web or download podcasts of our shows.
The radio station was established in 1976 to provide a voice for those denied access to the mass media, particularly the working class, women, Indigenous people and the many community groups and community issues discriminated against in and by the mass media.
These last few years Cam Smith and I have been doing a show called Yeah Nah Pasaran! ‘examining, through an anti-fascist lens, ethno-nationalism, white supremacy and neo-fascism in so-called Australia, Aotearoa & around the world’ and during that time we’ve interviewed a range of people . This year that’s included Jock Palfreeman, Haley McEwan, Amanda Rogers, Bjørn Ihler, Sara Aniano, Amanda Moore, Richard McNeil-Willson, Cat Tebaldi, Kelly Weill, Andre Obeler, Stephanie Alex Baker, Mark Bray, Andy Campbell, Anke Richter, Jason Wilson, Hampton Stall, Cameron Wilson, Elle Hardy and Jordan McSwiney.
Folks, running a radio station ain’t cheap and another year has gone by without the implementation of fully automated luxury space communism, so we gots to pay the bills.
3CR is a desperately needed audio oasis in the vast and unyielding desert of mediocrity that is the Australian media landscape – they truly give space for voices that don’t get a look-in anywhere else on the airwaves, and it’s critical that we support them.
On this week’s episode of Yeah Nah Pasaran! on 3CR we talk to Jordan McSwiney [Twitter]. Jordan is a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. We spoke to him about Pauline Hanson, her One Nation Party, the 2022 Australian federal election, the Australian far right (and Australian media), ‘How Good is Western Civilisation?’ and more.
4.30pm, Thursday, June 9, 2022 /// 3CR /// 855AM / streaming live on the 3CR website
• A longer version of this episode will be available on Apple, Spotify and other platforms after broadcast.
• We also have a Facebook page for the show, which you’re invited to ‘Like’ and to ‘Follow’.
• I have a Patreon account which youse are also invited to support.
How has a Christian movement, founded at the turn of the twentieth century by the son of freed slaves, become the fastest-growing religion on Earth? Pentecostalism has 600 million followers; by 2050, they’ll be one in ten people worldwide. This is the religion of the Holy Spirit, with believers directly experiencing God and His blessings: success for the mind, body, spirit and wallet.
Pentecostalism is a social movement. It serves impoverished people in Africa and Latin America, and inspires anti-establishment leaders from Trump to Bolsonaro. In Australia, Europe and Korea, it throws itself into culture wars and social media, offering meaning and community to the rootless and marginalised in a fragmenting world.
Reporting this revolution from twelve countries and six US states, Elle Hardy weaves a timeless tale of miracles, money and power, set in our volatile age of extremes. By turns troubling and entertaining, Beyond Belief exposes the Pentecostal agenda: not just saving souls, but transforming societies and controlling politics. These modern prophets, embedded in our institutions, have the cash and the influence to wage their holy war.
4.30pm, Thursday, June 2, 2022 /// 3CR /// 855AM / streaming live on the 3CR website
• A longer version of this episode will be available on Apple, Spotify and other platforms after broadcast.
• We also have a Facebook page for the show, which you’re invited to ‘Like’ and to ‘Follow’.
• I have a Patreon account which youse are also invited to support.
On last week’s episode of the show, Cam and I briefly reviewed and had a yarn about the smol and micro-parties contesting last weekend’s federal election. On this week’s episode of Yeah Nah Pasaran! on 3CR we talk to Crikey’s Cam Wilson [Twitter] about the outcome and how some of the … not-so-nice, different and ah, unusual candidates fared. Speaking of which, while the results are still settling, one aspirant Senator is Ralph Babet in Victoria. According to Cam:
Soon after election night, Babet deleted his UAP campaign Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter account. However, archived posts from these accounts and other online content reveals that his views are well and truly in line with those of his right-wing populist and conspiracy promoting party leader Palmer.
Gee whizz!
I may write some more about how the far right (and the far left) fared at the ballot box this cycle, but in general results were disappointing for the right: Craig Kelly is not the Prime Minister and (with the possible exception of Babet) the return on Uncle Cliev’s $100 million investment has proven to be meagre. On the other hand, PHONy did at least secure another term for Dear Leader, increase its overall vote and hence — crucially — markedly improve its bank balance. Notably, Josephine Qashman didn’t let (((George Soros))) prevent her from getting a bronze medal in Lyne, while old mate, white nationalist and former Australia First Party flunky Victor Waterson bravely battled for Bennelong, narrowly defeating YouTube micro-celebrity Dougal Cameron. Finally, while Riccardo Bosi‘s plans to deal with traitors may have been delayed, happily, Rod Culleton no longer has to worry about bankruptcy disqualifying him from assuming his rightful place in the Australian Senate.
4.30pm, Thursday, May 26, 2022 /// 3CR /// 855AM / streaming live on the 3CR website
• A longer version of this episode will be available on Apple, Spotify and other platforms after broadcast.
• We also have a Facebook page for the show, which you’re invited to ‘Like’ and to ‘Follow’.
• I have a Patreon account which youse are also invited to support.
4.30pm, Thursday, May 12, 2022 /// 3CR /// 855AM / streaming live on the 3CR website
• A longer version of this episode will be available on Apple, Spotify and other platforms after broadcast.
• We also have a Facebook page for the show, which you’re invited to ‘Like’ and to ‘Follow’.
• I have a Patreon account which youse are also invited to support.
On this week’s episode of Yeah Nah Pasaran! on 3CR we talk to semi-regular US correspondent Jason Wilson [Twitter]. We last spoke to Jason in October last year about all the cool and normel responses to COVID-19. Having been a regular columnist with The Guardian, Jason is now working with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). We spoke to him about American neo-Nazi leader Rob Rundo’s recent adventures, the problem with Todd Sampson’s flirtations with Rundo’s kameraden Down Under and the political meaning and significance of the elevation of anti-trans sentiment in the United States.
4.30pm, Thursday, May 5, 2022 /// 3CR /// 855AM / streaming live on the 3CR website
• A longer version of this episode will be available on Apple, Spotify and other platforms after broadcast.
• We also have a Facebook page for the show, which you’re invited to ‘Like’ and to ‘Follow’.
• I have a Patreon account which youse are also invited to support.
Nominations for the 2022 Australian federal election have now been officially confirmed and — despite rumours that communists, socialists and other ‘far’ leftists lurk within the bosom of the Australian Labor Party and the Australian Greens — there’s only a smol handful of self-proclaimed socialists taking to the parliamentary barricades this year.
Sadly, having been de-registered by the Australian Electoral Commission in June 2021, the Australian Workers Party appears not to be running any candidates in 2022. Further, Ron Poulsen of the Communist League has once again failed to nominate for a seat, and no Communists of any other variety would appear to have thrown their flatcap into the ring. Happily, the Australian Progressives are fielding candidates in the race for the Senate in the ACT and Victoria, while Janine Rees is battling over Ryan (NSW) and Angela Fulco wants to steal Sturt (WA) from the Liberals. Finally, in a special 2022 BONUS!, Drew Pavlou’s Democratic Alliance wants to ‘give power back to the people’ by first installing itself in the Lower House seats of Chisholm (VIC) and Stuart (WA) and in QLD, NSW and SA in the Upper House. Note that, while Pavlou has described himself as a libertarian socialist, (Dr) Joe Toscano, formerly of ‘Libertarian Workers for a Self-Managed Society’, wants to put ‘Public Interests Before Corporate Interests’ by running for a seat in the Senate in Victoria.
Socialist Alliance
SAll is running five candidates for the House of Representatives — Sue Bolton in Wills and Sue Bull in Corio (VIC), Andrew Chuter in Sydney (NSW), Pat O’Shane in Leichhardt (QLD) and Sam Wainwright in Fremantle (WA) — and Senate tickets in NSW, QLD, VIC and WA. The Party recommends ‘preferences to socialist and Greens candidates ahead of the ALP, ALP before the Coalition parties and far right parties last’.
Socialist Equality Party
Our candidates are SEP assistant national secretary Max Boddy and WSWS writer Oscar Grenfell in NSW, longtime party member Peter Byrne and an International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) leader, Jason Wardle, in Victoria, and longstanding WSWS correspondent Mike Head and another IYSSE leader, John Davis, in Queensland. Their biographical details and how to vote for them as the SEP candidates can be found here.
Like the AWP, in February 2022 the SEP was de-registered by the AEC, but they can’t. won’t and don’t stahp campaigning on ‘A socialist program of action for the working class to oppose war and fight COVID-19 and austerity’.
Victorian Socialists
VS are running 11 Lower House Candidates in Victoria (Calwell, Cooper, Fraser, Gellibrand, Gorton, Hawke, Lalor, Maribyrnong, Melbourne, Scullin and Wills) and Aran Mylvaganam for a seat in the Senate. VS fared reasonably well at the 2019 Australian federal election all things considered, and also upon debut at the 2018 Victorian state election. But whether or not it can improve upon these performances is somewhat doubtful, and I don’t see the sense of splitting the socialist vote in Wills (Bolton versus Black).
On this week’s episode of Yeah Nah Pasaran! on 3CR we talk to Anke Richter [Twitter]. Anke is a Kiwi-Kraut, freelance journalist and foreign correspondent, taz columnist, lover and writer of books. Anke has also been involved with FACT Aotearoa (Fight Against Conspiracy Theories Aotearoa): ‘a grass-roots activist group made up of volunteers from all professions’ which is ‘committed to fighting against harmful conspiracy theories that harm the very fabric of New Zealand society’.
• This episode will be available on Apple, Spotify and other platforms after broadcast.
• We also have a Facebook page for the show, which you’re invited to ‘Like’ and to ‘Follow’.
• I have a Patreon account which youse are also invited to support.
Today, anti-fascist research group The White Rose Society published a statement regarding an upcoming documentary by TV personality Todd Sampson. It draws attention to a key failing of media reportage on fascism and the far right: uncritically amplifying the views of neo-Nazis. You can also read Tom Tanuki’s thoughts on the matter here. For the record, I too was contacted by the producers, expressed a willingness to talk to them, but … they never got back to me (see also : Romper Stomper Pulls On Its Boots Again (But Forgets To Thread Its Laces), January 13, 2018).
Recently we, and a number of other antifascists, were approached by Rebecca Le Tourneau @becletourneau to discuss a documentary she is producing with Todd Sampson @toddsampsonOz on radicalisation and social media. We agreed to a background chat with her.
Tonight we found out on Telegram that @toddsampsonOz is working on the documentary with two of Australia’s most hateful and violent neo-Nazis, Blair Cottrell and Tom Sewell.
Here is Tom Sewell vague posting about his involvement in the documentary, sandwiched in between a post to celebrate Hitler’s Birthday yesterday. [snip]
Here is Blair Cottrell announcing his involvement in the project by posting a photograph with a smiling @toddsampsonOz (and Tom Sewell in the background of the shot).
The violent Islamophobic rhetoric of neo-Nazis Blair Cottrell and Tom Sewell and their group the United Patriots Front, were a major factor in the radicalisation of Brenton Tarrant and his act of terror, slaughtering 51 Muslims at prayer in Christchurch.
National Socialist Network and Tom Sewell have also made repeated Antisemitic and violent threats towards colleagues of @becletourneau and @toddsampsonOz.
The Australian media’s Islamophobic rhetoric and platforming of neo-Nazis like Blair Cottrell, (including on Sky News where @becletourneau was a producer), were also major contributing factors in the radicalisation of Brenton Tarrant and the rise of fascism in Australia.
The Murdoch empire is so desperate to avoid a #MurdochRoyalCommission that they'll take any distraction they can. What's their latest tactic? A "documentary" about me and @TurnbullMalcolm, hosted by right-wing hatchet man Chris Kenny! No thanks, Chrisums, not this time… pic.twitter.com/qOvd0z7KtC
The Australian government and media’s own complicity in the terrorist attacks in Christchurch is yet to be reckoned with in Australia. How many times must we draw the attention of journalists to The Oxygen of Amplification?
We advise any antifascists or academics that have been approached by Rebecca Le Tourneau or Todd Sampson about their documentary to tell them to fuck off. Nothing good can come from providing a platform to violent neo-Nazis. No pasarán.
On this week’s episode of Yeah Nah Pasaran! on 3CR we talk to Andy Campbell [Twitter]. Andy is a senior editor and reporter at HuffPost, focusing on crime and extremism. He’s also the author of We Are Proud Boys: How a Right-Wing Street Gang Ushered in a New Era of American Extremism, which will be published by Hachette in October:
After the 2016 election, Americans witnessed a frightening trend: the sudden rise of a host of new extremist groups across the country. Emboldened by a new president, they flooded political rallies and built fervent online presences, expanding rapidly until they were a regular sight at everyday demonstrations. Amid the chaos, one group emerged as a leader among the others, with matching outfits, bizarre rituals, and a reputation for violence: the Proud Boys.
• This episode will be available on Apple, Spotify and other platforms after broadcast.
• We also have a Facebook page for the show, which you’re invited to ‘Like’ and to ‘Follow’.
• I have a Patreon account which youse are also invited to support.
Two Greek anarchists are making molotov cocktails. One says to the other: "So who will we throw these at then?" The other replies: "What are you, some kind of fucking intellectual?"
