Over the last week or so, a rather prickly kerffuffle has emerged surrounding Deakin University’s law review declaring their intention to publish an article by Drew Fraser entitled, “Rethinking the white Australia policy”.

Rob Corr provides a nice background analysis on his blog as to why the Deakin law review would entertain such a venture:

When I saw the headline announcing that Fraser’s views would be published, I knew it would be by Deakin, because [Mirko] Bagaric is head of the law school and [James] McConvill edits the law review. With that publicity-seeking pair running the show, it was almost inevitable that they would seek out Fraser — a man who not only has links to a neonazi organisation but also calls for race riots because “one could be forgiven for thinking that one is in Hong Kong when entering the library or other public spaces on campus.”

Once it hit the broadsheets, the Sudanese community swung into action and threatened to lodge a racial vilification suit against the university if Fraser’s article is published. Rob Corr again weighs up the pro’s and cons of such an approach:

Racists have already used Fraser’s status to bolster their (and his) repugnant beliefs, including the need for racist violence. However, he has not yet published anything on the topic. When they can point to an academic article that vindicates their claims — in a peer reviewed law journal, no less — any criticism in subsequent volumes will be irrelevant. Fraser and his neonazi mates will have what they were after, and will use it to legitimise their toxic beliefs.

It is because of this that I am in two minds about the threatened lawsuit. On one hand, I agree with Charles Richardson that freedom of thought is fundamental to a university, and that such cases can have a significant chilling effect. The argument is all the stronger when we are talking about a reputable, peer-reviewed journal that does not publish lightly.

However, if the review process has been diluted in the name of controversy, then the scales tip towards prosecution for racial vilification. As I argued above, pseudo-academic writings form the platform on which violent racism is based. Drew Fraser has links to the Patriotic Youth League, a neonazi organisation that has been accused of waging a race-hate campaign against African students. Fraser has also suggested that race riots might be necessary as some kind of racist “propaganda by deed”. In these circumstances, it may be appropriate to question whether the usual academic privilege ought to apply.

Once things went legal, the Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University, Prof Sally Walker, requested Fraser’s paper be reviewed by the University’s legal advisors.

One of Drew Fraser’s big supporters in cyberspace is the hate site American Renaissance. As you can see on that link, Jared Taylor’s volk are encouraging people to write to the VC of Deakin uni with exhortations to publish Fraser’s paper.

Nothing iffy about this, just a bunch of like-minded racist goons trying a bit of email leverage to get their man published.

Where things do get a bit iffy is when Drew Fraser himself has been spamming out his request for support to Stormfront members:

Polish_Boy
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,347
Location: Under the Southern Stars

Default Re: All Australian Nationalists read this.

I don’t want to create yet another Professor Fraser thread so I’ll just put this in here. I received an e-mail today from Mr Fraser’s account asking me to e-mail Deakin University, which is currently under pressure for agreeing to publish an article by Fraser.

Further information and a “recommended text” to send to the University can be found here:

http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives…deakin_law.php

I’m sure everyone who took the time to e-mail Professor Fraser have likewise been notified of this; I’m posting this here for the benefit of those who didn’t bother. If you’d like to take some action for Australia, here’s another chance to do so.

Well, with the openly neo-Nazi Stormfront crowd backing him up, how could the good professor lose?

DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
Office of the Vice-Chancellor and President Professor
Sally Walker
Geelong Waterfront Campus
Geelong Victoria 3217
Australia

19 September 2005

Associate Professor Andrew Fraser
Department of Public Law Division of Humanities
Macquarie University
NSW 2109

Dear Associate Professor Fraser:

I am writing to you regarding your article entitled “Rethinking the White Australian Policy” which was to be published by Deakin University in the next edition of the Deakin Law Review.

I was made aware of your article on Tuesday 13 September when journalists contacted my office; subsequently, a lawyer acting for the Sudanese community threatened the University with legal action if it published your article. On Wednesday 14 September I sought legal advice regarding whether the publication of the article in the Deakin Law Review would put the University at risk of infringing any law or otherwise incurring legal liability.

I have received the legal advice today. The advice is that the publication of the article by Deakin University in the Deakin Law Review would contravene the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) and, arguably, state and territory racial and religious vilification legislation. On the basis of this advice, I have to inform you that I have directed those responsible for the Deakin Law Review not to publish your article.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sally Walker Vice-Chancellor

Cc: Professor Di Yerbury
Vice-Chancellor
Macquarie University

He lost.