Australian troops share ‘sexist and racist’ stuff on Facebook

Sydney: The Australian Defence Force is investigating claims that several serving troops have posted racist and sexist material on a closed Facebook page.

ABC TV made had revealed that more than 1000 former and serving Royal Australian Regiment soldiers were a part of this Facebook group, which contains material including images that state ‘This is a rag head free zone’ and ‘All women are filthy lying whores’. Offensive comments about injured Muslims have also been made in the closed Facebook group by the troops. Army chief Lieutenant General David Morrison said in a statement that the issues raised were ‘serious’. “Where they have been I intend to take action to deal with them to the extent that our policies and the laws allows,” News.com.au quoted Lt Gen Morrison, as saying. A former Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) cadet Naomi Brookes says such withering views are quite common within the Defence services and such things would be considered less grim as the time will move on. “I’ve heard it before. Comments like the ones on the Facebook groups aren’t all that unusual. And because they are not all that unusual as time goes on they seem less and less obscene. So it feeds back into itself,” said Brookes. ANI