A senior Australian official has condemned plans to livestream a U.S. military execution in December, calling the move deeply troubling and urging social media platforms to block access to such content for Australian audiences. The government reiterated its longstanding opposition to the death penalty in all cases, emphasizing that platforms share a responsibility to prevent the spread of disturbing material. Meanwhile, the official warned against the divisive tactics of far-right groups, which seek to undermine public confidence by promoting a nostalgic, simplified view of the past, despite evidence contradicting their claims. The statement also acknowledged the emotional power of such messaging, framing the challenge as one of addressing both facts and public sentiment.
Follow the day’s news live.Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMark Dreyfus has fired off a warning to social media platforms about the livestream of US military execution planned for December.The former attorney, who is now the special envoy for international human rights, said Australia held longstanding opposition to the death penalty and had raised it with the United States.Australia opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, for all people ... the proposed livestreaming of an execution is deeply distressing. Platforms have a responsibility to prevent this disturbing content from being shown to Australians.If there is something, anything we can do, we will do. I assure you of that.Our role as progressive people is not to scold those who see appeal in that message. It’s not to mock them, dare I say cancel them, or talk down to them.The far right strategy is to divide people and it’s working; their goal is to talk down our economy so that their endless negativity becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Their core message is often clear and sometimes very appealing: let’s just go back to a more nostalgic version of the world we remember. We have all the facts to push back on this, but facts don’t beat feelings. Feelings are as real as facts. Continue reading...
