<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/30/melbourne-charity-receives-hate-mail-after-senator-and-others-post-contact-details-in-wake-of-charlie-kirk-killing>
"After Charlie Kirk was assassinated in the US, a small mental health charity
based in Melbourne was alarmed to find itself the target of people outraged at
commentary about his death.
The phone calls and messages began after the organisation’s contact details
were shared, including by the Australian senator Ralph Babet, who posted the
charity’s phone number, email address and website on his social media.
Babet identified the charity, VMIAC, as the potential workplace of Grace*, who
was accused of celebrating Kirk’s death.
The senator – who had separately written on his social media “we are at war”
after Kirk’s death – urged his followers to contact the organisation and push
for Grace to be sacked. Parts of his post were published in a
Daily Mail
article.
Grace had left the charity a year ago. Still, the angry messages flooded in.
“There have been thousands,” said Vrinda Edan, the chief executive of VMIAC.
“Some of the voicemails, in particular, were highly distressing.”
Babet made a number of posts about people he deemed critical of Kirk. But most
were about Grace, who has a modest social media following.
After Kirk’s death she commented on TikTok: “Let’s never forget that Charlie
Kirk used his whole head to defend your second amendment right to own guns.”
In a subsequent post, she said: “This wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t had
continued to abuse people the way that he did.”
The next day, she argued: “It is not wrong or unethical or unkind to laugh at
the misfortunes of terrible people. Charlie Kirk incited violence. That’s what
he did, and then that came back to haunt him … it’s got nothing to do with the
people who are laughing and joking about him becoming a human water fountain.”
Babet wrote on X: “This is beyond disturbing. I urge you to contact her
employer and voice your concern. I’ll be doing the same first thing in the
morning. People like this are dangerous.
“Their unhinged attitudes will only incite more political assassination if left
unchecked. The only appropriate outcome is for this woman to be removed from
her position at this organisation, if she is indeed employed there.”
Some of Grace’s comments were subsequently published by news.com.au and the
Daily Mail.
The charity’s staff had to open the hate mail it received, answer the phone
calls and listen to the voicemails, because they came through the same channels
clients use to seek help."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
