As Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) President Nasser Mashni continues to portray the suit-wearing, softly-spoken Mr Nice Guy when useful (as opposed to Real Nasser)
From APAN President @iamthenas to @AlboMP @SenatorWong #CeasefireNOW #IStandWithPalestine #FreePalestine #Gaza pic.twitter.com/Buofo6vjyy
— APAN (@APAN4Palestine) November 10, 2023
(calling for a ceasefire is a call for Hamas to have time to recover and rearm)
more and more in the media seem to see through his act.
The latest example of this is this piece in the Herald Sun, exposing his criminal history:
The leading Palestinian spokesman in Australia is a criminal with convictions for kidnap, violence and threatening behaviour, it can be revealed.
Nasser Mashni was 22 years old when he chased a child, beat him with a wooden axe handle, shoved him into the boot of his car and drove him to an abandoned paddock where he threatened to break his legs.
The then-15-year-old boy, who had run away from home, had stolen two packets of cigarettes from a milk bar Mr Mashni was working at in Brady Rd, North Dandenong, in June 1991.
Mr Mashni received 23 months in prison after pleading guilty to false imprisonment, intentionally or recklessly causing injury and one count of threatening to inflict serious injury in June 1992.
This sentence was wholly suspended on appeal in August 1992, meaning he remains convicted of the crimes, but would only have served time behind bars if he committed another offence within 12 months.
Mr Mashni is the president of the Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network but has sparked a lot of controversy in recent times.
He praised a terrorist, who plotted suicide bombings in Israel, as a hero and argued that not all of Hamas should be categorised as a terrorist organisation.
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Mr Mashni has also gone on Melbourne radio station 3CR – once dubbed “the voice of terrorism” – to call for the destruction of the Israeli state and claim all the “power structures that exist in the world focus upon Zionism”.
He does not support a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict and regards Israel as an illegitimate example of “settler colonialism”.
The property developer and donor to the Greens political party has organised pro-Palestine rallies where protesters have called for an “intifada” – a rebellion against Israel – and chanted Arabic phrases often used by extremist groups such as Islamic State and al-Qa’ida.
He also urged protesters at a Melbourne rally to join him in shouting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
The piece also reveals how he has actually liked posts justifying the Hamas Oct 7 attacks:
He also liked on social media several posts justifying the Hamas paragliding terrorist attacks that saw 1400 Israelis killed last month, including one post that stated it was “a logical response”.
But back to the criminal record, which was something I discovered last week and planned to post about before the Herald Sun beat me to the punch. You can read more about the case here:
Of course, this is not to say that Mashni is still the violent hothead he was 30 years ago. But it is interesting how he thought back then the end justifies the means. It seems from his social media activity and words at some of the protests that he still might believe this.
