Scott McIntyre, the former SBS sports reporter who lost his job last year after Malcolm Turnbull complained about his “despicable” Anzac Day tweets, has doubled down on the controversy.
On Monday afternoon McIntyre began tweeting images and blocks of text describing Australian soldiers involved in instances of rape, murder, riots and pillaging.
“Brave Anzacs rioting, pillaging and murdering in Egypt, 1915. Via war memorial website,” he captioned one.
McIntyre’s tweets, posted on Anzac Day, contained no other statement or links, but clearly mirrored the controversial posts from one year ago which led to his sacking.
Anzacs murdering, in cold-blood, villagers in Surafend in 1918: the first hand account from trooper Harold O’Brien. pic.twitter.com/FdwUSOOfoz
— Scott McIntyre (@mcintinhos) April 25, 2016
Australian troops involved in frequent, often pack, rape of Japanese in Kure, 1940s. Via army translator A. Clifton. pic.twitter.com/K7V5dL9kYx
— Scott McIntyre (@mcintinhos) April 25, 2016
The response online was mixed. One person replied: “Its amazing how you will have a go at the soldiers who sacraficed [sic] so much for your country every Anzac day.”
Another said it was worth reading.
Good thing @mcintinhos can't be fired again. Some difficult Anzac Day tweeting on his TL. Do read. Let's not glorify war.
— Na'ama Carlin (@derridalicious) April 25, 2016
On Anzac Day last year McIntyre, then a football journalist for SBS, criticised what he described as the “cultification [sic] of an imperialist invasion”.
“Remembering the summary execution, widespread rape and theft committed by these brave Anzacs in Egypt, Palestine and Japan,” he wrote in one tweet.
“Wonder if the poorly-read, largely white, nationalist drinkers and gamblers pause today to consider the horror that all mankind suffered,” he said in another.
The following day McIntyre was sacked, with SBS CEO and managing director, Michael Ebeid, saying his remarks made his position at the broadcast “untenable”.
SBS staff were later told McIntyre was fired for refusing to remove the tweets.
Turnbull, who was then the minister for communications, tweeted his disgust and said the posts were “despicable remarks which deserve to be condemned”.
He also revealed on his blog he contacted Ebeid as soon as he saw McIntyre’s tweets, but denied he had any influence over the decision to sack him.
In October the Fair Work Commission granted McIntyre permission to sue for unfair dismissal.
Earlier this month McIntyre and SBS resolved their dispute before a scheduled hearing in the federal court.
“SBS acknowledges that Mr McIntyre was a well-respected sports reporter with SBS for a period spanning over a decade, and SBS is disappointed that it was unable to continue with his services following his Tweets,” a joint statement said on 11 April.
“Mr McIntyre acknowledges that the views expressed in his Tweets on 25 April 2015 were his views and that they were contentious. Mr McIntyre regrets any attribution of his views to SBS and acknowledges that SBS was drawn into controversy following the expression of his views.”
McIntyre could not be reached for comment.
