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Reminiscent of the Israel Folau saga, online LGBTQAAI+ trolls have pounced on a social media post shared by outspoken conservative author, and retired Australian Christian Lobby director, Lyle Shelton.
Landscape photos shared on January 2 to both Instagram and Twitter, showed Shelton smiling with the caption: “Sneaky run across the border and back. Avoided the CCP virus police.”
Sneaky run across the border and back. Avoided the CCP virus 🦠 police. pic.twitter.com/rWdOd1SUfj
— Lyle Shelton (@LyleShelton) January 2, 2021
The tweet was met with the predictable barrage of abusive spite, hate, and vindictiveness, that’s become the norm for almost anything Shelton shares online.
Without any regard for the context of the post. One user accused Shelton of “taunting.”
Another wrote: “What a tool. Let’s all show the world how clever we are! Let’s all do what Lyle did! Let’s all ignore the health advice in a pandemic. Let’s be like the UK and USA. Who cares if our ICUs get overrun and people die.”
Even those not normally drawn to the hate-Shelton, Christophobic bandwagon, weighed in. One commenter said: “Rules apply to us all – we may not like them but we abide by them. Recall that St Paul (himself in and out of prison) had strong views here.”
Queensland police also dropped by, writing in response: “We are aware of this tweet and making further enquiries.”
We are aware of this tweet and making further enquiries.
— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) January 3, 2021
The Brisbane Times explained that Queensland Police had visited Shelton’s home on Sunday afternoon.
Such bold police back-up empowered some power-drunk Twitter users, high on every drop of the Chi-comm C0VID Kool-Aid, saying: “Please don’t let him off because of his connections. He endangers every one of us, so blatantly (and proudly) flouting the rules. Thanks QPS. Stay safe out there.”
Police have since cleared Shelton of any wrongdoing, saying Shelton can legally cross the border because he “has a G-Pass,” but – as quoted by the Brisbane Times: “Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said the tweet was ‘disappointing’ because it took away valuable resources to investigate and clear Mr Shelton.”
Shelton has apologised for the debacle, but not without noting the hypocritical nature of the outrage:
“I did not intend to waste their resources. My solo jog seems to have received a disproportionate social media response compared to that of the tens of thousands who apparently breached C0VID rules [for BLM] protest[s] at the height of the pandemic.”
Shelton also told the Brisbane Times that the post was blown out of proportion, saying he was just expressing a bit of that fun “Aussie larrikinism.”
“[…]I made a joke, in a good-natured way, at authority, if we can’t have a bit of a joke, then what has this country come to?”
I saw Lyle’s post when scrolling through Instagram the day he posted it. I just laughed and scrolled on.
It’s no surprise that Queensland Police haven’t acted on those tying up QLD Police’s valuable time by falsely accusing Shelton of breaking the law.
Especially when the history of intent shows that those “concerned citizens” are really activists with an axe to grind; misusing police resources for their own vindictive agenda.
Pathetic stuff.
Shelton has nothing to apologise for.
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