Disclaimer: The following content may be distressing. We also advise First Nations readers that the following post may contain references to deceased persons.
On the 26th of January, thousands will be marching through Australian cities to abolish Australia day. This year, activist groups have been hit by a fake account, forging copies of event posters with the goal of vilifying the event.
Ahead of these marches, a fake copy of a post by Warriors of Aboriginal Resistance (WAR) instructs marchers to “bring the deed of your parent’s stolen property and pledge it to the first nation’s people”, to make banners reading “white dogs, f**k off Nazis, give it back and f**k off we’re full”, encouraging marchers to leave white friends at home and- most troubling- to “prepare for violence, bring bats, sticks and facemasks”.
The real post from WAR’s facebook page:
It goes without saying that these instructions were not in the original post, and the tactic of planting ‘evidence’ of violent or radical intent has been used by alt-right counter-protestors before. The fake post has been taken down, but some members of the public have already screenshotted and shared it.
This is yet another reminder to carefully evaluate what we see online. More to come.
