The strange reason why federal police visited a former Labor employee for posting a SONG on social media
- Bassel Tallal, 30, posted ‘Kill Bill’ online
- Mr. Tallal is running against Bill Shorten
- AFP visited Mr. Tallal after a complaint
Federal police visited a former Labor employee after he posted a screenshot of a song on social media, only to have it interpreted as a possible death threat against his political rival.
Bassel Tallal, 30, is running against Cabinet minister Bill Shorten, 55, in two separate critical elections for Victoria Labour, as members prepare to vote in the party’s administration committee for the first time in three years.
On Thursday, he posted a screenshot on his Instagram account of the hit song ‘Kill Bill’ by American singer SZA.
However, the post was reported to the police and AFP visited his Melbourne home on Friday night after receiving a tip.
Tallal has denied that the song was a reference to Shorten, 55.
Police visited a former Labor staffer after he posted a screenshot of SZA’s hit song ‘Kill Bill’ on social media, and police warned it could be construed as a death threat against the cabinet minister Bill Shorten.
The song, whose title references Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 killer film, features lyrics including “I could kill my ex, not the best idea / I killed his girlfriend next, how did I get here?”. / I’d rather be in Hell than alone.’
Police warned Mr Tallal about how the Instagram post could be interpreted, Labor sources say.
He then deleted the post. The AFP has said it will take no further action.
“This is a bizarre response to an innocuous social media post about a popular song. If Mr. Shorten is offended by my bad taste in music, then I apologize,” Mr. Tallal told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Bassel Tallal, 30, (pictured) a former staffer to former Senator Stephen Conroy and Defense Minister Richard Marles, denied it was a reference to Mr Shorten, 55.
Mr Tallal faces Mr Shorten (pictured) in two separate critical elections for Victorian Labour, as members prepare to vote on the party’s administration committee for the first time in three years.
He had previously posted a similar Instagram story about the same song on December 15.
Labor Victoria members had their voting rights stripped in 2020, after an investigation revealed branch stacking on an “industrial scale”.
His rights have been reinstated ahead of the party conference in June.
The upcoming elections have sparked tensions between members linked to Shorten and allies of Marles and Conroy.