Sexual Abuse Charges Against Alan Jones Follow a Legacy of Racism and Misogyny

Former broadcaster Alan Jones is no stranger to controversy.

His career as morning radio show host of 2GB has spanned 18 years, from 2002 to 2020, during which he caused enormous controversy, often levelling misogynistic and racist insults, as well as unfounded allegations which have severely harmed others and placed him on the wrong side of the law more than once.

Now, the 83-year old is facing 26 charges involving allegations of a sexual nature against eight male complainants, the youngest of them being 17 years old at the time of the alleged offending.

The sexual charges comprise engaging in acts of indecency, indecent assault, sexual touching and common assault, and span several years while he was at his prime in terms of his power and relevance.

Jones has been granted conditional bail and will face Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on 18 December 2024, when it is expected he will formally enter pleas of not guilty to all of the charges.

Let’s take a look back at the legacy of bigotry left behind by Jones, as he faces perhaps his toughest challenge yet – defeating the allegations of sexual abuse levelled against him.

Cronulla Riots

The 2005 Cronulla Riots involved a series of racist attacks in Sydney, the genesis of which was said to be a physical altercation between a lifeguard and Middle Eastern teenagers.

Jones took to the airwaves after the incident and spurred ‘white Australians’ as well as biker group members to descend on the suburb and engage in racist violence against anyone believed to be of ‘Middle Eastern appearance’.

Those in the local community, notably white affluent individuals, cited there was already ‘rising tension’ in the society between Lebanese youths and women in the area. However, this viewpoint was only carried out by the mainstream media that intended to make the Australian Lebanese citizens appear as the ones who incited violence and caused the incident.

Mainstream media, particularly talkback radio and tabloid publications, further fueled the narrative against foreigners. Alan Jones, on 2GB Radio, made numerous derogatory and discriminatory remarks towards Middle Eastern individuals, including baseless claims that those of foreign descent had ‘raped women in Western Sydney’. This hate speech, with no basis in reality, is a pressing issue that we must address in our society.

After the Sydney riots, Jones failed to adhere to the Australian Communications and Media Code of Conduct. His actions led to the encouragement of violence, the incitement of hate speech, and the vilification of those of Middle Eastern backgrounds. This underscores the urgent need for accountability in the media, a crucial aspect of maintaining a just and fair society.

Racist Remarks

Another notable incident involving Jones and his clear discriminatory language, hate speech, and inciting of violence against foreigners included his racist comments on the radio.

Jones is well known for using extremely derogatory and exclusive language on AM radio, using horrifying vernacular such as ‘mongrels’ and ‘idiots’ to describe foreigners, especially Lebanese men — the same ethnic group that he condemned in the Condulla incident.

Jones fought back in retort to a Muslim cleric claiming that women should ‘blame themselves’ when it comes to rape — thus, a heated reaction is warranted. BUT, condemning a specific group of people, demeaning an entire race, and claiming Lebanese people are ‘subhuman’ is not acceptable.

Despite such blasphemous comments, which shocked the nation, he was never prosecuted for his on-air comments – even though they are directly in contention to sections 4 and 4A of the NSW Summary Offences Act and section 11.4 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 relating to inciting others to commit violence.

The only reprimand Jones faced was a measly $10,000 fine. Although this sends the message that no one, not even public figures and radio broadcasters, is above the law, the menial monetary payment would do little to curb Jones’ hatred and obvious discrimination towards foreigners in Australia.

Unfounded Comments

More controversy that has led to the powder keg in which we find ourselves today in Australia’s racist society — spurred on by hate speech in media broadcasters such as Jones – includes the $3 million court-imposed fine for the broadcaster regarding false reporting and unfounded comments.

Jones was ordered to pay over $3 million in damages to the Wagner family in a defamation case that saw the famous radio broadcaster make ‘vicious’, ‘blind’, and ‘spiteful’ comments regarding the family in Toowoomba. He made defamatory allegations that claimed the Wagner family was responsible for the death of 12 people during the disastrous floods in 2011 that rocked the area.

Jones, and other media outlets, were sued for defamation after making claims that a quarry wall, and subsequent negligence, was responsible for the deaths of more than one dozen individuals and the destruction of over 50 homes. However, the Commission of Inquiry cleared the family of any wrongdoing in the incident — making the media outlets guilty of defamation.

Before Jones made unfounded claims regarding the Wagner family, the Judge noted that ‘each plaintiff enjoyed an excellent reputation for honesty and integrity…the publication of the defamatory broadcaster was extensive. The defamatory broadcasts have caused each plaintiff to suffer profound personal hurt.’

Inciting Violence Towards Women

The last instance, so far, of Jones showing his hateful and vindictive nature towards women and ‘others’ who he sees as a threat to Australian society occurred in August 2019 when he made hateful remarks regarding the Australian PM Scott Morrison and potential violence towards women.

Although these were not the first comments he made on air that could cause divisiveness in the nation, they were some of the most shocking and directly related to women, causing extensive backlash towards himself and his radio show. And the worst part? His comments were inciting violence against women, an epidemic in the country that has often been overlooked when it comes to funding, prevention, and police investigations.

The incident started in 2016, with Jennie Hill founding the ‘Mad Fucking Witches’ online group that exposes ‘sexism, misogyny, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism’. Jones directly insulting this much-needed platform isn’t just hate speech that doesn’t gain any traction — the MFW claims that his comments directly influence the view towards women in the country and can, successfully, incite violence against women, especially by current or ex-partners.

And those claims are not unfounded — 2 in 5 women have experienced violence after the age of 15, with 11% of all women experiencing at least one incident of sexual violence by another person.

The Influence of Inciting Violence in Australia

Propaganda leads to the incitement, justification, and naturalisation of violence, allowing vicious acts while simultaneously desensitising the public to wrong acts. Uncensored words, inappropriate media, and emotional provocation can all lead to the public’s changing moral codes, which can lead to a need to incite and cause violence.

Despite claims that criminalising incitement restricts freedom of expression or speech, international codes cite that freedom of expression should still maintain codes to ‘protect national security’ and ‘public health or morals’.

When it comes to Alan Jones, he has zero regard for the public’s well-being, acceptance of people who are different from themselves, cohesiveness, or morals—he uses discriminatory, derogatory, and aggressive language to attempt to turn a group of people against another group of people.

Not only is inciting violence a criminal offence under the Crime Act 1900 in Section 93Z that makes it illegal to incite or threaten violence against a group of people based on their race, religious belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, or intersex status, but it has been proven that hate speech is a widespread precursor to hate crimes, large-scale violence, and discrimination.

The effects of hate speech, discrimination, racist remarks, and inciting violence against a group of people can change society and leave long-lasting issues. Alan Jones is not only a person with an influential reach but a person whose power has gone unchecked. This can lead to a change in the way Australians view people in society—something that can lead to a fundamental shift in how citizens accept foreigners.