The latest in Australia-China relations
Duncan Calder, MD, Contour Capital
This photo was created based on the event described in the Brereton report where 2 Afghan children were said to have been dragged off by our SAS soldiers and had their throats slit.
The image illustrates the alleged event in the report. Using this fake photo is not classy and is inflammatory. It is concerning that any official Chinese channel would use such an image.
The irony is our media's attention and our politicians' rant are now all about the photo, rather than focusing on the credible evidence that our SAS illegally killed 39 Afghans.
It is pretty thin skinned to claim outrage at a social media tweet and not focus on the issue of substance - being the abuse. After all we protect the right of President Macron defending Charlie Hebdo for depicting Mohammed in insulting ways and calling it Freedom of Speech!
The issues are:
1. The underlying crimes in Afghanistan are disgusting and a national shame.
2. Australia is dealing with the allegations with exemplary transparency
3. The state of our relationship with China is still worsening and China sees no urgency in turning things around and this is alarming for the future of the Australian economy
4. Using fake or cartoon images is poor form and insulting but not a major offense.