Saturday
I didn’t put this up yesterday when I came across it, because it was so embarrassing to this once great country. The ABC is funded entirely by taxpayers.
I changed my mind overnight.
This young man was thrown out of the studio for pointing out that Russia is not the villain in this – a fact that is available to anyone who cares to do the bare minimum of homework.
The smooth and well-heeled bloke in the blue tie brings shame to the once great country of Australia. He threw a young man out of the studio for daring to express (politely and factually) a different opinion than his own.
Later, the excuse was given that the person was evicted for asking an unauthorised question.
The young man goes by the name of Sasha Gillies-Lekakis. This was his subsequent comment…
“I am aware there has been a lot of controversy surrounding certain statements I made and the position I took regarding the Russia-Ukraine situation,” he wrote.
“I am unequivocally against war and the loss of any lives, be they Ukrainian, Russian, or any other, and want to be clear that I made no statements indicating anything to the contrary – I made no direct statement sanctioning violence or conflict.
“I was hoping to make the point that I support Putin’s grievances regarding the breaking of the Minsk peace agreement by the Ukraine, and the ensuing loss of life, particularly in the Russian-populated areas of the Donbas.”
Gillies-Lekakis said it was “not true” that his question was unvetted.
He said he submitted it online and was told to edit it via email and again in the studio before the program. “The only addition I made to my question when actually delivering it was my reference to the Azov Battalion … and some sentences were left out towards the end as I was interrupted,” he said.
Gillies-Lekakis said being asked to leave and Grant’s statements following his departure were “disappointing and unprofessional”.
“I am genuinely sorry things took the turn they did,” he said. “However, at the same time, an acknowledgment of the ABC’s questionable conduct would also be appreciated – if my question was not appropriate for the show after being vetted and edited, I wonder why I was invited at all.”