Blair Cottrell
| Blair Cottrell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Blair Cottrell 11 November 1989 Frankston, Victoria |
| Education | Did not complete high school |
| Home town | Frankston, Victoria |
| Movement | United Patriots Front |
| Criminal charge | Arson, stalking, threat to kill |
| Criminal penalty | Custodial sentence |
| Criminal status | Paroled |
| Parent(s) | Brian Cottrell |
Blair Cottrell (born 11 November 1989) is an Australian white nationalist, social media personality, street protest movement leader and convicted arsonist and stalker.[1] Cottrell is a founding member and the former leader of United Patriots Front (UPF), an anti-immigration splinter group of the Reclaim Australia movement. Cottrell replaced Shermon Burgess as leader of the group in October 2015.[2]
Contents
Biography
Cottrell is known for promoting his controversial views on social media, which have been condemned by the political left and far-left for including what they see as anti-feminist, antisemitic, anti-immigration, homophobic and transphobic, racist, and Islamophobic sentiments.[3][4] Cottrell has been criticised for several of his statements, including a desire to see a portrait of Adolf Hitler hung in Australian classrooms and for copies of Mein Kampf to be "issued annually" to students[5]
In November 2015, Cottrell announced plans for the UPF to register as a political party under the moniker "Fortitude".[6] As of May 2016, the party remains unregistered[7]
In February 2016, Cottrell was criticised after being photographed purchasing a meal from a halal-certified fast-food restaurant, despite his vocal opposition to halal certification and support for boycotts of certified businesses and products.[8][9] Also in February 2016, video surfaced of a television show segment some years earlier featuring an incarcerated Cottrell discussing his criminal convictions. Using the pseudonym 'Bruce', Cottrell spoke from inside Victoria's Port Philip Prison, detailing his offences including arson, stalking, making threats to kill and breaching intervention orders, and also discussed his addiction to steroids[10][11]
Conviction of hate speech offences
In 2017, Cottrell was convicted for hate speech offences, receiving a criminal conviction for inciting the contempt and ridicule of Muslims over a skit committed in 2015 by himself and other members of the UPF; they had enacted and made a video of a fake beheading, in order to protest against the building of a mosque in Bendigo. They were fined $2,000 each.[12] Cottrell lodged an appeal, applying for his case to be heard in the High Court of Australia and arguing that he had been charged under an "invalid law". This was thrown out in February 2019, and he tried to have the matter heard in the Supreme Court of Victoria. The county court dismissed Cottrell's appeal in December 2019.[13]
Appearance on Sky News Australia
In August 2018, Sky News Australia was criticised for providing a platform to Cottrell in a one-on-one discussion about immigration. Several people at Sky News took offence at his appearance on the program. Sky News commentator and former Australian Labor Party minister Craig Emerson resigned in protest after the interview was broadcast, saying that the decision to give Cottrell a platform on Sky was "another step in a journey to normalising racism and bigotry in our country".[14]
References
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- ↑ United Patriots Front trio found guilty of inciting serious contempt of Muslims
- ↑ Blair Cottrell loses appeal against conviction for inciting contempt, ridicule of Muslims
- ↑ Sky News bans far-right extremist and suspends program that hosted him
