A SWAN Hill woman could be among the first in the state charged under Victoria’s religious vilification laws, after making an inflammatory statement about Islam on Facebook.
Melbourne-based human rights lawyer Anna Brown told The Guardian the 38-year-old woman is being prosecuted under legislation which has rarely recorded convictions.
“[The Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001] is not an act that’s used frequently,” Ms Brown said.
Under the Act it is a crime to “incite hatred, serious contempt, revulsion or severe ridicule” due to someone’s race or religion.
The woman was charged with one count of serious religious vilification by Swan Hill police last month after allegedly posting on a Facebook page calling for “all mosques to be burnt down with the doors locked at prayer time”.
For more on this story, grab a copy of Monday’s Guardian (February 11).
