SOCIAL media trolls have attacked Cessnock councillors both for and against the Buchanan mosque that was approved on July 20.
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There was even talk of bombing the council chambers on the Facebook page Stop the Mosque.
But Cr Morgan Campbell bore the brunt of it in Facebook posts – criticised for his youth and attire – in a series of screenshots he shared to Twitter.
“Councillor Morgan Campbell what are your views on genital mutilation if you don’t mind me asking,” one wrote.
Another chimed in: “He would not know what female genitalia looked like.”
Then this: “After see [sic] your grandstanding late entrance to the previous meeting in your Batman socks you are a joke.”
Mosque critics went so far to claim that Cr Campbell had a vested interest in the matter after he spoke at the Rally Against Racism in November 2015, a counter-rally to Reclaim Australia’s in Cessnock CBD.
“How can you in good concience [sic] allow yourself to vote on this issue considering you already had a vested interest... Declearing [sic] your support for the "Mosque" before any DA had been put to council ???” One user wrote.
“Cr Morgan Campbell you declared your support at the Reclaim Australia Rally speaking to support Buchanan mosque!!” Another said.
Cr Campbell defend his decision to vote on the Buchanan mosque via Facebook and Twitter. He responded that at no time did he ever mention the mosque in the media or in his speech at the rally.
The speech, he said, was about standing up against Reclaim Australia, who were using the Cessnock community to boost their agenda.
“The rally was never about the mosque,” he said.
Cr Campbell said his decision to vote in favour of the mosque was only made after he read the council planners’ report, which recommended approval, and was “absolutely not” related to the rally.
Cr James Ryan said he was called “an imbecile councillor” for voting yes to the mosque but said he was more concerned by the threatening nature of posts on the Stop the Mosque Facebook page which talked about bombing the council chambers.
“That’s pretty outrageous,” he said.
Cr Bryce Gibson was also subjected to name-calling for voting against the proposal.
He said he was called “an ignorant bigot” but overall he had received mostly positive feedback with residents thanking him for listening to their concerns.
Cr Campbell declined to comment further on the matter when approached by The Mercury.
Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
