Australian senator Ralph Babet demands the duo, Hollywood star Jack Black and musician Kyle Gass, be deported over the latter’s comment

The latest show on Tenacious D’s Australian tour has been postponed after senator Ralph Babet demanded the pair be deported following an apparent joke about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

American comedy rock duo Jack Black and Kyle Gass were due to perform in Newcastle on Tuesday evening, but the show – part of the band’s Spicy Meatball Tour – was cancelled without notice on Tuesday afternoon.

Concert promoter Frontier Touring said on social media that it regretted “to advise that Tenacious D’s concert tonight at Newcastle Entertainment Centre has been postponed”.

Video from the event showed (Kyle) Gass being presented with a birthday cake and told to “make a wish” as he blew out the candles. Gass then appeared to say “don’t miss Trump next time” – just hours after the shooting at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania that left the former president injured.

  • the_strange@feddit.orgEnglish
    463·
    4 months ago

    Free speech isn’t a constitutional right in Australia

    https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/rights-and-freedoms/freedom-information-opinion-and-expression

    I am not very well versed in Australian law, but this indicates to me that free speech is indeed protected in Australia.

    Lauren Southern was banned from the UK?

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Southern

    She’s a far-right racist conspiracy theorist nutjob who was denied entry into the UK for spewing hatred. Her right to express herself ends where other people’s rights for freedom, health and safety begin.

    • DigitalDilemma@lemmy.mlEnglish
      79·
      4 months ago

      I am not very well versed in Australian law, but this indicates to me that free speech is indeed protected in Australia.

      It aims to, but it is not a right.

      See the two exclusions on the page you linked.

      blocked when…

      ( a ) For respect of the rights or reputations of others; ( b ) For the protection of national security or of public order, or of public health or morals.

      In this case, public order may be considered valid, although my personal view is that it wasn’t.

      In Australia, humour has a long history of bad taste, but a longer history of religious repression through law. Think 1960s America - that describes much of Australian rural culture, with extra bad language. (Although NSW was a lot more tolerant when I travelled around the country)

      In the UK, free speech is not possible either. See D-notices, and later super-injunctions to stop media and individuals reporting on facts.

    • OceanSoap@lemmy.mlEnglish
      27·
      4 months ago

      Nope, see others commenting below.

      And my point was, you can’t be surprised that conservatives turn around and do what the left does to them when they have the chance to. That’s why I was so against Dems ousting Trump supporters from their jobs, because I knew they would turn around and do the same if/when they had the chance.

      It’s why we have to be very careful about any laws we pass when Dems are in power. Power will always swing back to Republicans at some point, and you’re fucking crazy if you think they’re not going to use those same laws to repress their political opponents

    • EatATaco@lemm.eeEnglish
      27·
      4 months ago

      Not that I think the concert should have been cancelled. . .but isn’t asking for someone to be killed “spewing hatred”? Isn’t asking for them to actually be shot infringing on their “health and safety.” This is “if the shoe is on the other foot” example for me, it doesn’t appear that their ban was unjustified, or her ban was unjustified. Although, it probably doesn’t even really count because we are talking about two different countries here.