Geoff Davies

The Drum

The bias, hysteria and divisiveness of our public political conversation is never far from view, but this week I encountered it firsthand.

I watched outside as the Aboriginal protest unfolded at The Lobby restaurant on Australia Day. The event reported in the media and reacted to by many commentators is a lurid parody of what actually happened. Perspective and balance are hard to find.

The protest was not violent. It was certainly rowdy and confronting. The protesters chanted loudly and angrily, and some beat time on the glass walls of the restaurant. There was some pushing and shoving as the VIP cars finally moved out. Police on the day said there were "scuffles" and no arrests would be made.

For those inside the restaurant it would probably have been a bit scary, but the Prime Minister and others stayed calm and were never physically threatened. My partner and I were outside watching from metres away and never felt concerned for our safety.

The most likely result of actual confrontation, in my estimation, would have been angry people shouting in the faces of the PM or Mr Abbott. Ms Gillard has had former Labor leader Mark Latham in her face and survived.

That evening the WIN TV news repeatedly referred to "violence" and used other inflammatory terms so inaccurate as to amount to lies. The Canberra Times front page next day screamed "Australia's day of disgrace". There are disgraces involved, but the rowdy protest was not one.

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