Because its’ Sunday and we thought you all deserved a little reason to smile, we’d like to share that One Nation MP Cory Bernardi (aka the adult man hurling anti-trans slurs at kids and teens) has officially been suspended on Facebook.
Considering it’s usually LGBTQIA+ folk, sex workers, and BIPOC creators targeted for merely existing online while conservative rage-baiters, homophobes, and racists run rampant (in fact, they’re paid to post from what we hear), this tiny moment is one we are going to allow ourselves to enjoy.
Related content:
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- Cory Bernardi stands by that bestiality same-sex marriage speech
- Fact-checking Pauline Hanson’s National Press Club speech
A little recap on what’s happened
The suspension comes after Bernardi posted videos from an anti-One Nation protest outside South Australia’s Parliament House, where hundreds of people, many of them school students, had gathered as part of nationwide demonstrations against Pauline Hanson and her party.
The One Nation MP filmed himself roaming through the protest and repeatedly used an anti-trans slur while describing the demonstrators as “a bunch of incels”.
He also called the protesters an “assortment of weirdos” and took particular issue with the presence of “furries”, trans people and young people at the rally.
One of the protest organisers, 17-year-old Year 11 student Sam Ats, called Bernardi’s behaviour “appalling”, accusing the 56-year-old politician of bullying teenagers using their voices to protest.
“Cory Bernardi is a 56-year-old man who is bullying teenagers and high-schoolers, calling them slurs, recording them without their consent to bully and intimidate people who are trying to make their voice heard,” the 17-year-old said, according to ABC.
“It was pretty pathetic,” fellow organiser and university student Jordan Armstrong said.
Image: One Nation / FacebookThe videos were subsequently shared widely online and, according to One Nation on social media, parents of students who attended the protest have threatened legal action and demanded the party remove its “viral video” of the incident.
One Nation says Bernardi has now been suspended from the platform and that it has appealed the decision, promising an update “soon”.
Which leaves us with the more calming sentences of the weekend: Cory Bernardi is currently unable to post on Facebook.
But in all seriousness, this is an example of the very different ways online platforms like Meta treat people depending on who is speaking and/or who is being spoken about.
Innocuous posts lead to immediate suspensions and restrictions for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC folk, sex workers and sex-positive creators. Meanwhile videos showing discriminatory language aimed at children and teens can be left up for weeks before it gets a second glance.
In this case, Bernardi was able to publicly film and ridicule teenagers at a political protest, use an anti-trans slur and post the footage to his followers.
Maybe the most ironic part of all though, is watching One Nation supporters react to one of their own finally encountering a moderation policy.
“When they try to silence you, means you are on the right track,” one supporter wrote.
And considering who is silenced the most online, I guess we can all take that as a compliment.
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