An Australian Labor party social media post has left followers scratching their heads, with its apparent send-up of white nationalist messaging triggering the question: “Have you been hacked?”
The Instagram post – which was uploaded on Sunday and then deleted on Monday – features a white man wearing a T-shirt with a flag-themed map of Australia and the words: “THIS IS AUSTRALIA / WE EAT MEAT / WE DRINK BEER AND WE LOVE MEDICARE!”. The Instagram caption stated: “CALLING ALL AUSSIE PATRIOTS NOW IS THE TIME TO PROTECT OUR MEDICARE.”
On Labor’s TikTok feed, the same image was run alongside the same message: “CALLING ALL AUSSIE PATRIOTS NOW IS THE TIME TO PROTECT OUR MEDICARE” with a string of Auspol hashtags. It was accompanied by a dance version of Men at Work’s Down Under before it was also deleted.
The T-shirt design appears similar to an archival example of nationalist racist memorabilia held by Museums Victoria.
A navy blue version, now held in the museum’s stored collection, was one of three themed T-shirts sold online and in a Darwin shop in 2009.
“The T-shirts reflect anxieties about foreign invasions and a xenophobia that has characterised public discourse in Australian colonies since the Victorian gold rushes of the 1850s,” the museum states.
“The slogans on these T-shirts are racist and seek to define Australian identity by excluding ‘the other’ and by excluding anyone who dares to voice criticism.
“The slogan ‘This Is Australia we eat meat, we drink beer and we speak f#ckin’ English’ is aimed at Muslims in particular who have customs which ban alcohol and non-halal meat.”
People commenting on Instagram were surprised by Labor’s version of the T-shirt.
“Have you been hacked by the far right?” one user asked.
Another wrote: “Woof this is an odd post. But I guess toxic patriotic masculinity wins votes? 🤔”
A separate comment read: “How cringeworthy. It’s incredible that someone thought repurposing a racist meme was a good idea.”
Another person made a guess at the strategy behind the post: “Beating the right wing snowflakes at their own game 😂”.
A Labor spokesperson on Monday said: “Labor is seeking to reach everyone with our message that Australians value Medicare and we’ll do everything we can to protect it from Peter Dutton’s cuts. However, the party acknowledges this post missed the mark and it has been deleted.”
