Monday night’s “Brandis in Bankstown” episode of Q&A was strange: about Muslims but not really; about accountability for George Brandis but not quite; an “adventure in democracy” without a panel; and an audience, raring to get stuck into the attorney general, that was instead stacked with Muslim leaders, academics and the AFP.
The overwhelming impression was of something very stage managed – although as Comment is Free regular Jason Wilson pointed out back in May, that’s the way Q&A works.
Nonetheless the Twitter feed rolled on. Some well-known Muslim tweeters were not happy with the set-up of the programme:
Am disappointed that #QandA Execs didn't treat QandA guests (@lydia_shelly ) with respect to be seated next to Brandis as a panelist @QandA
— Mariam Veiszadeh (@MariamVeiszadeh) November 3, 2014
many key voices in the Muslim community boycotting tonight's #qanda event when Brandis does Bankstown. Producers wont tell you that #auspol
— Hanan Dover (@HananDover1) November 3, 2014
Not everyone was happy with the boycott:
At #QandA very sad at those who boycotted this evening. Looking forward to giving the AG some tough questions
— Silma Ihram (@Silma_Ihram) November 3, 2014
Brandis’ line this evening was that, when it comes to counter-terrorism and national security, the government and Muslim community are “partners” and radicalisation is a “shared problem”.
The attorney general insisted to Muslim leaders in the audience that “You are not the problem, you are the solution”. The Muslim community is also the victim, Brandis said, of a “small number of people who move in your community”.
Again, the tweets rolled on:
I get the feeling Muslims have been permanently benched on Team Australia #QandA
— Susan Carland (@SusanCarland) November 3, 2014
Brandis is disingenuous - he didn't adopt any of the feedback given to him at the countless 'consultation meetings'. #QandA
— Mariam Veiszadeh (@MariamVeiszadeh) November 3, 2014
Talking on the foreign fighters’ laws with lawyer Lydia Shelley, Brandis noted 73 people have had their passports cancelled. In doing so, we’re meeting our obligations under international law.
Shelley said it was “a sustained attack by the government on civil liberties”.
Brandis replied:
We can’t pretend that there isn’t a specific problem here. This is what we know. We know that at the moment there are... 71 young Australians fighting in the Northern Iraq and Syrian theatres for Isil and associated terror organisations. More than 20 have returned. 15 have been killed, 2 have suicided. Every last one of those people have been recruited from within this community.
You mightn’t like to hear me say the word victim ... but the government thinks this community is being preyed upon ... ensnared, cajoled.
Muslim cleric Mohamed Abdallah remarked that radicalisation has been “painted as a massive problem but is not that grave”. The real failure is in not addressing the root causes of radicalisation. He said the government’s approach has been superficial. One tweeter disagreed:
We just had a man shot outside a mosque and this guy claims it isn't much of a problem?#qanda
— Mahesha (@mahesha13) November 3, 2014
Questions rolled on: what about foreign fighters in the IDF? What about white supremacists back home – should they get more attention from Asio?
More Muslim women have been victims of racist attacks from white supremacists than any "Islamist terror" in this country. #qanda
— lana del neigh (@LanaDelNeigh_) November 3, 2014
A lot of questions were thrown to the AFP’s representative, Neil Gaughan from the counter-terrorism unit. But he wasn’t on the panel – it was almost like he was a consultant for Tony Jones. After the terror raids, was this a good idea?
It was a DECORATIVE sword. Not a weapon. #qanda
— Miran Hosny (@MiranHosny) November 3, 2014
Not everyone thought it was a problem though:
Muslim communities are being targeted because that's where the problem is. Should Buddhists be targeted to show a lack of bias? #qanda
— Phil Dye (@dye_phil) November 3, 2014
"How dare you try to stop me getting killed!?!" - Everyone complaining about raids #qanda
— Jonathon Momsen (@JonathonMomsen) November 3, 2014
Especially not Brandis:
Let us get this straight... the police operation Appleby was not over the top, it was not overreach. There was specific actionable intelligence that an individual was imminently about to commit ... an act of lethal violence ... here in Sydney.
How is an accompanying media stunt to police raids in the public interest? Unless fear is seen in the public interest? #QandA
— Jarrod McKenna ن (@jarrodmckenna) November 3, 2014
Brandis gave his usual lines on bigotry – “the point I make is that you can’t say you believe in freedom of speech unless you accept that everyone has the right to freedom of speech” and said the new natsec laws would not penalise journalists.
Then there was the moment we’d all been waiting for:
I missed the start. Has anyone asked him to define metadata yet? #qanda
— Leith McPherson (@leithmcp) November 3, 2014
Brandis cleared up AFP commissioner Andrew Colvin’s remarks that metadata could be used to catch illegal downloaders: “Can’t be and won’t be.”
But it will catch those committing paedophilia and child exploitation offences, he added.
also Big Bang theory downloaders could be euthanised #qanda
— Michael T (@mtats) November 3, 2014
Did you think more time should have been given to metadata? Was Brandis’ solo appearance in Bankstown courageous, or brazen? And after he was accused of ignoring the submissions from the Muslim community on counter-terror laws, are they really a partner? Jump in the thread and let us know what you reckon.
