Hate mail

Hate mail

The Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group may be able to help the police track down neo-Nazi groups operating in Tasmania.

Group spokesperson Rodney Croome said on January 28 that high profile gay and lesbian advocates have been receiving neo-Nazi hate mail for several years. Some neo-Nazis have become so bold that "they have begun including return addresses on their anti-gay hate letters and we have passed these on to the police", said Croome.

"The sad fact is that the Tasmanian government has allowed hate groups to get away with anti-gay activities, and this has emboldened neo-Nazis to target MPs and racial minorities."

Neo-Nazi activity recently became an issue when state Labor MP Michael Polley received hate mail in the wake of his condemnation of racism.

Following this the state government condemned bigotry and said it was considering anti-vilification laws. The police then launched an investigation into neo-Nazi activity.

Croome challenged the state government to adequately protect homosexual people from discrimination and vilification in its proposed new anti-discrimination law. "If the government again turns a blind eye to anti-gay prejudice, it will be undermining everyone's effort to combat other forms of intolerance."

From GLW issue 261