Oh, the irony! Human Rights Commission appears to have received a s18C Racial Discrimination Act complaint from a Twitter troll. **WARNING: Offensive Language/Graphic Image**

Snapshot from ABC Media Watch Episode 28 on 11 August 2014

Excerpt from Mike Carlton’s The Sydney Morning Herald column on 24 July 2014 which elicited a very hostile response:

The onslaught is indiscriminate and unrelenting, with but one possible conclusion: Israel is not fighting the terrorists of Hamas. In defiance of the laws of war and the norms of civilised behaviour, it is waging its own war of terror on the entire Gaza population of about 1.7 million people. Call it genocide, call it ethnic cleansing: the aim is to kill Arabs.

As none other than Malcolm Fraser tweeted this week: "If any other country went to war killing as many civilians, women and children, it would be named a war crime." But it is not, although the UN is asking the question of both sides.

Yes, Hamas is also trying to kill Israeli civilians, with a barrage of rockets and guerilla border attacks. It, too, is guilty of terror and grave war crimes. But Israeli citizens and their homes and towns have been effectively shielded by the nation's Iron Dome defence system, and so far only three of its civilians have died in this latest conflict. The Israeli response has been out of all proportion, a monstrous distortion of the much-vaunted right of self defence.

Carlton asserts he was then subjected to a barrage of abusive emails on his Gmail account and I tend to believe him. Unfortunately, in tit-for-tat, he was less than polite in his replies.

News Corp now reports that two 18C Racial Discrimination Act 1975 complaints have been received by the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Unless there has  been a third complaint, the second complainant appears to be Simon Goldstein (@simongolds), who until his Twitter account was suspended last week (presumably for offensive, abusive, racist language and graphic images) described himself as a Jewish-Australian teen, UQ student, anti-Hamas, Pro-Israel, Young Liberal! Brisvegas, QLD.

This is the last photo of himself Simon posted on his account and this is his message:

Simon's account appears to have a distasteful history: 

Unfortunately, I rather suspect that the Human Rights Commission will never be fully aware of the pressure that trolls hunting in packs can bring to bear, especially if they are encouraged by the attitude of Murdoch’s minions.

On the other hand, I'm sure the Liberal Party is well aware of the vile side of the Young Liberals organisation and appears to tolerate its members' excesses.