In April this year, OHPI succeeded in getting a page spreading hate against Australian military veterans “Diggers are Dole Bludgers” (ID# 1583334281945743) removed. Another page was created (ID# 1396071514053238) with the same name soon after. We refer to such pages as Pheonix pages. They reappear with the same name as the previous page and with the same agenda.
You can read our previous briefing on the removed page here.
The page considers itself “anti-socialist”, and is particularly against the use of public funds for the creation and maintenance of defence forces by governments. (Read its About Page here.) This could be fought at an ideological level. However, the page immediately gets down to targeting Australian soldiers: mocking their deaths, trauma and holding them personally accountable for the killing on the battlefield. It also encourages the destruction of Anzac Day memorabilia.
There could be various reasons why this page has been created. It could be the work of trolls to create public outrage and offence. Or it could be a page that genuinely stands against the philosophy of war. Identifying and promoting hatred towards a specific section of our society – our military veterans and ex-servicemen – who are only doing their lawful job under incredible stressful circumstances, however, crosses a line. Most concerning would be if this was a page created by those Australia is at war with (eg Deash (ISIS)).Either way, it serves their agenda.
In this briefing, we first share some examples from the removed “Diggers are Dole Bludgers” page and then some examples from the new “Diggers are Dole Bludgers” page (we will refer to this page as Phoenix Page for clarity).
We will also share instructions on how to report this content.
Examples from the Removed “Diggers are Dole Bludgers” Page
Example 1:
Example 2:
Example 3:
The image is encouraging the burning of the Australian Flag, supposedly as a way of protesting against what it stands for, the ANZACS and their efforts in the war. In reality this is simply trying to push people’s buttons to get a strong response.
Examples from the Phoenix Page
Example 1:
This image implies mocks the death of the military servicemen.
Click here to see the item on Facebook and report it.
Example 2
The image holds the soldiers personally and morally responsible for the deaths caused during war. It is hurtful and offensive to people, who were doing a necessary task within the confines of law.
Click here to see the item on Facebook and report it.
Example 3:
This image is encouraging the destruction of an Anzac Day memorial military patch. Its main aim is to outrage and offend.
Click here to see the item on Facebook and report it.
Call to Action:
Please help us to get this page removed by following these steps:
- Report the page to Facebook by following these instructions
- To report an image, please follow these instructions
- You can also report the page to fightgainsthate.com. Use the category “other hate type not listed” and then enter “ANZAC”.
Please help us spread the work by sharing this briefing:
You can view all the work we have done to fight “Hate against Military Veterans and ex-Servicemen” here. If you haven’t already done so, please join us on Facebook in our efforts against all forms of online hate. As a registered charity our work is funded through donations from the public, any help to support our important work tackling online hate is also greatly appreciated.