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Speaker 1: It is just on twenty minutes after ten o'clock. Now

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Speaker 1: I know I've received numerous messages over the last couple

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Speaker 1: of days from people quite concerned that anti mandate ralliers

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Speaker 1: will gathered at the Sanotaph on the weekend, and also

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Speaker 1: played the last post. Now I read in the paper

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Speaker 1: today that a Darwin veteran has called for calm after

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Speaker 1: a social media post well caused a stir among some

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Speaker 1: of those protesters.

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Speaker 2: Sam Weston, you may know him.

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Speaker 1: He owns the Mad Snake Cafe in the CBD and

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Speaker 1: he has done a lot with veterans and continues to

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Speaker 1: and his one himself and he joins me on the

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Speaker 1: line this morning.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Sam, Good morning Katie. Thanks so

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Speaker 2: much for your time this morning.

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Speaker 1: Now, Sam, I understand that well that you'd posted on

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Speaker 1: Facebook on Monday asking for the Senotaph to not be

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Speaker 1: used as a prop and well for the last post

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Speaker 1: to be reserved for the use by the military.

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Speaker 2: Tell me exactly what happened.

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Speaker 3: I got a lot of abusive tech messages, comments, threat

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Speaker 3: people jumped on and gave me bad reviews on my

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Speaker 3: cafe that has never been in here and got told

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Speaker 3: and it got quite ugly, and I also noticed other veterans,

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Speaker 3: but I know that we're on there as well, got

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Speaker 3: a sort of shot down as well. So I only

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Speaker 3: asked them not to do the last post, and I

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Speaker 3: only asked them to show the bit of respect of

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Speaker 3: the cenotaph. I saw there were scooters and people sitting

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Speaker 3: on the cenotaph. I thought that was a bit disrespectful.

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Speaker 3: That was my opinion, on top of all the veterans

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Speaker 3: that I know and go, and as you know, I

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Speaker 3: have a lot to do with the veterans up there,

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Speaker 3: and I just simply said, you know, can we please

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Speaker 3: not do that at the next protest, And then I've

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Speaker 3: just been abused really ever since. To be honest with you, make.

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Speaker 1: That is disgraceful, Like, honestly, you are voicing an opinion

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Speaker 1: which I think is absolutely fair enough one that I

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Speaker 1: agree with.

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Speaker 2: It is the cenotaph. It needs to be respected.

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Speaker 1: The last post is something which should be reserved for

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Speaker 1: the use of those in the military and for those

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Speaker 1: very you know, really commemorative occasions that we all pay

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Speaker 1: our respects for, you know, for those who have served,

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Speaker 1: I mean.

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Speaker 3: And the other thing that upset I mean, I can't stop.

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Speaker 3: This is some of some of these people were comparing

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Speaker 3: their cause to that of a veterans cause, and no way,

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Speaker 3: please don't compare what you're doing on a Saturday, comparing

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Speaker 3: that freedom to what we did in the in the military.

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Speaker 3: They're not even in the same ballpark.

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Speaker 2: It's not even close to being in the same ballpark.

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Speaker 3: And you know, Okay, we're dealing with a royal commission

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Speaker 3: right now, We're dealing with a lot of veterans are

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Speaker 3: going for a lot of stuff right now. The last

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Speaker 3: thing we needed is all we politely asked was just

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Speaker 3: don't do that on your protests. I support them. I've

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Speaker 3: got no drama with the protests. I've got no drama

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Speaker 3: with the mandate. By all means, the reason these people

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Speaker 3: get to do that is because of us fighting overseas.

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Speaker 3: But you know what, just don't do don't bring the

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Speaker 3: military stuff into it to help your court. That's all

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Speaker 3: we are.

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Speaker 1: Then.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I feel like I've vilified, abused, and my business

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Speaker 3: has been trashed because I, as a veteran, I stood

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Speaker 3: up for my rights.

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Speaker 2: Sam, I'm really sorry that that's happened to you.

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Speaker 1: I think that that is just absolutely out of line

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Speaker 1: that people are.

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Speaker 2: Then trolling you and trolling other veterans on.

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Speaker 1: Social media when you have absolutely every right to voice

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Speaker 1: your concern and voice your opinion.

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Speaker 2: You've served our great country.

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Speaker 3: It's actually it's heartbreaking. I'm really upset. The past twenty

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Speaker 3: four hours have just been you know. Yeah, I mean

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Speaker 3: I've been you know, destroyed and bagged because of my

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Speaker 3: believer as a veteran. If I wasn't a veteran, if

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Speaker 3: I didn't know veterins, I get it. But this is

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Speaker 3: something that I'm proud of. This is something that veterans

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Speaker 3: are proud of. And some of these people, I've got

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Speaker 3: to say, some of these people, Katie, some have been good.

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Speaker 3: Some have texted me and said, okay, this and what

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Speaker 3: is it specifically you don't like about it? But you know,

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Speaker 3: my majority of these people have been quite abusive towards me.

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Speaker 1: But I, as I say, I'm really I'm very disappointed

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Speaker 1: to hear that that's happened, and I do think it's shocking.

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Speaker 1: You're a good bloke. I've you know, I know that

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Speaker 1: that the business you run is a great business. But

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Speaker 1: I also know that you do a lot of work

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Speaker 1: with other veterans and I think that anybody out there

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Speaker 1: who's having a crack at you for actually standing up

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Speaker 1: for our veterans is really ordinary behavior. And it also

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Speaker 1: demonstrates to me that they know absolutely nothing about you.

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Speaker 3: No, yeah, I mean, yeah, yeah, I'm bewildered it really,

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Speaker 3: it really has hit me home because it's like, what

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Speaker 3: do I do? Do I just not do? I keep

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Speaker 3: my opinions to myself and at these people, you know,

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Speaker 3: they're fighting for their cause, but yet they're bagging my course.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, mate, I's you know, I know it's really hard

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Speaker 1: and I can't I don't know how you're feeling this morning,

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Speaker 1: but I know how we feel here at the station

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Speaker 1: when you know, I get pretty disgraceful messages from people

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Speaker 1: about this very same you know, very same issue, and

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Speaker 1: threats and some pretty gross messages. I've got to say,

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Speaker 1: but I actually think that the likes of you need

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Speaker 1: to continue to stand up because do you know what,

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Speaker 1: You've got the large majority of those in the community

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Speaker 1: who actually agree that the cenotaph should not be used

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Speaker 1: as a prop for any kind of rally. And I,

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Speaker 1: you know, I firmly believe that people have the right

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Speaker 1: to protest and that they should have the right to protest,

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Speaker 1: but don't use Do not use a place like the

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Speaker 1: cenotaph to do that.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, please don't use it. I'd been nice about and

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Speaker 3: I'll be nice about it. If you look at it's

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Speaker 3: hard not to lose get angry, but I've been really

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Speaker 3: nice and personal. Please don't do the last post.

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Speaker 2: That's all of our Yeah, mate, I I agree what.

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Speaker 3: They're trolls and keyboard wardies as well. Ok, most of

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Speaker 3: them don't have faces and pretend profile pics sad.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's yeah, look, it's not it's not fair at all,

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Speaker 1: and it's I'm really, like I say, I'm really quite

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Speaker 1: disgusted that then you've had to put up with that

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Speaker 1: kind of shit on social media.

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Speaker 2: It's not okay.

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Speaker 1: But please know that there are so many people in

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Speaker 1: the community who really respect you, respect the point of

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Speaker 1: view and perspective that you've put forward as well.

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Speaker 3: All right, thank you very much, thanks mate, have been good.

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Speaker 3: I have a business morning this morning. The person that

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Speaker 3: told me last night said I hope your business failed

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Speaker 3: this week. Today was one of my busiest wednesdays I've

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Speaker 3: had a long time.

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Speaker 1: So good on you, well, good on your mate. And

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Speaker 1: I reckon you're going to find that you do have.

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Speaker 1: So many territorians come in and support you the Mad Snake.

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Speaker 2: It's a great cafe. Good on your mate, Thank you

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Speaker 2: so much, Thanks, thank you,