A lot of people will be aware of the website dontbeafuckingidiot.com that went viral on social media yesterday. It was a humorous but informative take on Australian politics that resonated with many and thus received widespread attention.
Yesterday afternoon however, the creator of the site began to face harassment from Liberal Party associates demanding he hand over his personal details. He later received calls from several other people he did not know, making threats to him about his career. His personal details were then shared online, leading to him being abused.
This kind of treatment is a vile and pathetic intimidation tactic from the Liberal Party, and a blatant assault on freedom of speech and expression. For a major political party to harass a private citizen for his political views is utterly reprehensible.
What kind of party that claims to champion democratic values resorts to Stasi-style fear tactics to bring down defenceless civilians? This abhorrent incident casts a horrendous shadow over the LNP’s ethics. With the possibility of this party winning government on Saturday, one has to question what kind of “democracy” we will be living in if citizens cannot even express their views without facing such appalling terrorisation.