Activism labelled ‘terrorism’

FEDERAL Dawson MP George Christensen is pushing for greens’ activism that disrupts lawful businesses, industry or ports, and puts workers’ lives in danger, to be considered an act of terrorism.

His radical call comes as Warrego State Electorate Council puts forward a motion for consideration at this weekend’s LNP State Convention urging the Federal Government to deregister animals rights group Aussie Farms as a charity or deductible gift recipient.

The motion states the group – which made national headlines earlier this year for publishing details and addresses of producers in an online map – should be deregistered due to “the threat it presents to Australian agriculture and its biosecurity measures”.

Mr Christensen said he wanted to see the Federal Government “up the ante” on people taking illegal actions against law-abiding businesses, particularly in the mining and mining service sector.

“We need to strengthen the definition of a terrorist act in section 100.1 of the Criminal Code to ensure it covers the disruption of lawful business, industry, port or transport services and where they put workers lives in danger,” he said.

“These green groups are out there disrupting law-abiding citizens and businesses and putting lives in danger, all for a political or ideological cause – that is pretty much the exact definition of terrorism.

“That might be a step too far for some, if it is, then perhaps we should come up with some new category of crime that mirrors this.”

Galilee Blockage group spokesman Ben Pennings slammed the call as “sad and pathetic”.

“As far as we’re concerned peaceful protests which don’t endanger anyone, equating that to extreme acts of violence, is a bit sad and pretty pathetic – it’s very lowbrow politics,” Mr Pennings said.

“Peaceful protests have a long and strong history in Australia.”