KEY POINTS:
- No campaigner Warren Mundine has been accused of stoking violence against a political rival.
- Mundine said he would 'like to see' a boxer fight a prominent Yes campaigner.
- Mundine has previously called for a respectful debate on the Voice.
No campaigner Nyunggai Warren Mundine has been accused of "encouraging violence" against his political opponents, after publicly saying he would "like to see" former boxer Anthony Mundine fight Yes advocate Thomas Mayo.
But Fair Australia, which Warren Mundine represents, has played down the "light-hearted" comment and insisted he is "campaigning to keep the country united".
Both camps have raised concern over the level of vitriol unleashed during the Indigenous Voice to Parliament debate, which has been marred by abuse levelled at prominent Indigenous people across the political spectrum.
Mayo in particular has become a focus of attacks from No supporters, and Nine Entertainment Co was forced to apologise for running an advertisement depicting him in a way that was widely criticised as racist.
This week, Mundine's second cousin, former world champion boxer and Voice opponent Anthony Mundine, publicly stated he would like to fight Mayo.
"He says he's a combat man, I'm [an] ex-fighter. I'm getting on in age, I'm probably older than him. I want to beat him up real good. He needs to be taught a lesson," he said in a social media video.
Warren Mundine took to X - formerly Twitter - on Wednesday, posting: "I want to see that!!!"
Thomas Mayo has become a lightning rod for attacks from the No camp. Source: AAP / Dan Himbrechts
Mayo did not directly respond to the video, which also included Anthony Mundine questioning his Indigenous heritage.
"The only fighting I’m doing is for a better future for all Australians, using words, patience, understanding and acts of love and solidarity," Mayo said on X.
On Thursday, Mayo told SBS News he was looking forward to the referendum and "hopefully having a success".
Anthony Mundine said he would like to 'teach [Mayo] a lesson' in the boxing ring. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi
“That's what happened with marriage equality. Life got better for people that had been denied fairness for a long time, and nobody lost anything from it, despite the fear-mongering.”
The Uluru Dialogues, a group including many of the 2017 Uluru Statement From the Heart's architects, condemned Warren Mundine's comments.
"After encouraging its volunteers to stoke confusion and fear among Australians, the No campaign has now made the abhorrent leap to encouraging violence," it said in a statement.
"While Yes leader Noel Pearson spoke yesterday in the National Press Club of uniting Australians in love of country for a more positive future, No leader Warren Mundine publicly endorsed threats of violence against other Yes spokespeople.
"Could there be a clearer illustration of the choice for Australian people on 14 October?"
Fair Australia plays down 'light-hearted' tweet
A spokesperson for Fair Australia argued the Uluru Dialogues were "the ones trying to divide Australians with the Voice of Division".
"It’s obvious to any fair-minded Australian that Mr Mundine’s tweet was light-hearted, and that he’s the one campaigning to keep the country united," they said.
"The hypocrisy of the Yes campaign is laid bare when their claims are measured against the violence and aggression seen from them at our rallies and the examples of appalling Yes volunteer behaviour, including the Yes23 spitter."
The comment was a reference to a Yes23 supporter, who was not an official spokesperson, appearing to spit on the camera of a No campaigner who was filming her at a park at the weekend.
Warren Mundine has previously stressed the need for a respectful debate over the Voice, insisting Australians must not "go around abusing people".
"If we don’t do that, then my fear when we wake up on Sunday after the referendum … there’s going to be a lot of anger and hate out there," he told Sky News this month.
He has also repeatedly railed against racist abuse directed at him and fellow No campaigner Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, even accusing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of leading him "almost to suicidal positions".
But this week, he who labelled Traditional Owners "violent black men" at a conservative conference Mundine chairs, describing his views on the comments as "irrelevant".
"Comedy is about pushing buttons and going right to the end," he told the National Press Club.
"I'm not going to be standing here and becoming the overlord of what is comedy and what is not comedy. They have freedom to have comedy and make jokes."
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