Kyle Sandilands defends Locky Gilbert after his racist Myspace post resurfaced – and insists the Bachelor star ‘was just a kid echoing what the government was saying’
Kyle Sandilands has defended The Bachelor star Locklan ‘Locky’ Gilbert, after his racist social media post from 14 years ago resurfaced on Thursday.
As first reported by Daily Mail Australia, Gilbert, 31, had shared a map of Australia with the words ‘F**K OFF WE’RE FULL’ to his Myspace account in 2004, when he was a 16-year-old high school student in Perth.
Speaking on his KIIS FM breakfast show on Friday, Sandilands, 49, said: ‘The kid was 16. I blame the government at the time. This was when the government was turning boats back around with 200 poor Indonesians coming to Australia for a better life.’
‘He was just a kid!’ Kyle Sandilands (pictured) has defended Locky Gilbert after his shocking racist past was exposed on Friday
‘That’s what the government said, “No to the boats”. He was a 16-year-old kid echoing what the government would be thinking,’ he added.
‘It’s not like he would of been a racist teenager kid. It’s just what it was like back then.’
On Thursday, it was revealed Gilbert, 31, had shared the post featuring the anti-immigrant and anti-refugee slogan ‘F**K OFF WE’RE FULL’, which is widely considered to be racist.
Posts: Kyle said Locky (pictured) was ‘was just a 16-year-old kid echoing what the government would be thinking’
The post also included the Southern Cross constellation and the words ‘Aussie Pride’. While not intrinsically racist, the Southern Cross and ‘Aussie Pride’ slogan are sometimes associated with right-wing nationalism.
He apologised for his post in a statement to Daily Mail Australia on Thursday.
‘I am deeply sorry for the image I posted on MySpace over 14 years ago. I do not hold these views and I apologise for the offence I have caused,’ he said.
Regrettable: On Thursday, it was revealed Gilbert shared the bigoted content in 2004 to his Myspace when he was a 16-year-old high school student. Pictured: Gilbert’s still-active Myspace profile
At the time of Locky’s post, racial tensions in Australia were high as the government adopted a policy of ‘turning back the boats’.
In 2001, Australia introduced an operation aimed at deterring people from arriving by boat by denying them access to the country, but it ended in the following year.
A similar policy was reintroduced 2013 by the Abbott Government, which involved turning back boats ‘where it is safe to do so’.
Insensitive: The shocking post features an outline of Australia with the words ‘F**K OFF WE’RE FULL’, an anti-immigrant and anti-refugee slogan widely considered to be racist. The same meme also included the Southern Cross constellation and the words ‘Aussie Pride’
In 2005, the Cronulla riots also made headlines when violence broke out following racial and ethnic tensions between white Australians and Middle Eastern men.
The riots started when a group of men of Middle Eastern appearance reportedly assaulted two off-duty surf lifesavers on December 5 that year.
On December 11, about 5,000 people gathered at the beach to protest against the assault and the behaviour of Middle Eastern youths.
Apology: Locky’ (pictured) has apologised after his racist Myspace post from more than a decade ago resurfaced