Far-right nationalists found guilty of inciting contempt for Muslims: mock beheading video

Three far-right nationalists who staged a mock beheading to protest against the building of a mosque in Bendigo in central Victoria have been found guilty of inciting serious contempt of Muslims.

Blair Cottrell, Christopher Shortis and Neil Erikson have each been fined $2,000 after they filmed the beheading of a mannequin with a toy sword outside the Bendigo council offices in 2015.

The so-called ‘Bendigo Three’ argued that their video, which was released on the United Patriot’s Front Facebook page, was an act of free speech that focused on a specific tenet of Islam.

But the magistrate disagreed, arguing the video was clearly intended to create serious contempt for or ridicule of Muslims.

“We live in a community which is inclusive and that each individual deserves the right to live their life peacefully,” Magistrate Peter Hardy said.

Source: Far-right nationalists found guilty of inciting serious contempt for Muslims after mock beheading video – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)