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Racist and anti-Semitic posts shared on social media by the Northern Territory’s police minister were “satirical”, he claims, as allegations of systemic racism continue to rock the territory’s police force.
Now-deleted posts from Brent Potter’s Facebook account were revealed on Wednesday, with one post from 2013 quoting a Nazi saying: “In the absence of orders, go find something and kill it.”
Another post from 2015 uses a racial slur, while a post from 2016 is a video shared of a right-wing commenter “destroying Black Lives Matter with simple logic.”
Potter captioned the video “worth watching.”
In a statement, the police minister and former veteran said he never agreed with the posts shared and that they were a way to connect with other service members.
Northern Territory Police Minister Brent Potter (pictured) has defended several racist posts he shared on social media.
“Like most people, I have posted or shared controversial content on Facebook in the past, but that doesn’t mean I ever agreed with all the opinions expressed within them,” he said.
‘These Facebook posts were between 8 and 10 years ago, when I was 20, and do not define my views on any topic.
“As a Defense veteran… I used social media as a way to connect… that included sharing cynical and satirical humor with military themes that those who have not served would not understand.”
The minister said he has done things on social media that he regrets and would never do again in retrospect.
Chief Minister Eva Lawler supported Potter and said the posts “do not reflect the Brent Potter of today”.
“Many young people who have grown up in the age of social media have posted or reposted things they regret,” he said.
“I’ve said it before: there is no place for racism in the territory.”
The revelations are the latest in a series of scandals surrounding the NT Police, following explosive evidence at an Alice Springs investigation alleging the police’s elite specialist unit handed out a racist prize over the Christmas holidays.
NT Police are conducting an internal investigation with the ICAC after former constable Zachary Rolfe submitted certificates intended to prove the existence of the award.
Senior officers have refuted racist claims about the award, but have agreed that an award was made for “an outstanding lack of excellence in the area of personal hygiene or wild behaviour”.
Recipients received a wooden club studded with nails that was allegedly confiscated from a remote indigenous community during a period of unrest.
Commissioner Michael Murphy said the award has been discontinued.
“Our own Indigenous employees are hurt, horrified and disgraced by what they have heard,” he said Wednesday.
Potter had previously shared a video on Facebook (pictured) of commentator Ben Shapiro criticizing the Black Lives Matter movement.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Eva Lawler supported Mr Potter (pictured) saying the posts do not reflect his character.
“I can’t begin to understand how they feel, but I have to do everything I can with my team to make sure they feel supported.”
Commissioner Murphy admitted the award was racist whether the certificates were verified or not, but said NT Police do not have a systemic racism problem.
“We have groups of people who continue to use language or behave in (racist) ways, but this is addressed quickly and is not far-reaching,” he said.
He said there were “racist political setups” that resulted in unfair barriers to recruiting Indigenous staff into the NT Police.
‘Why do we expect someone whose third language is English to take a written exam?’ he said.
Commissioner Murphy said he would meet with ministers this week to work on Indigenous recruitment strategies within the force.
He said his goal was to have a 30 per cent Aboriginal workforce.
“This will take several years to achieve, but I really want a turbo, fast and aggressive approach to make sure we make a difference fairly quickly.”
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Constable Zachary Rolfe (pictured) was found not guilty of the murder of 19-year-old Indigenous man Kumanjayi Walker in 2022.