Herald Sun Poll: 65% Agree that the Official 9/11 Story does not Stand up to Scientific Scrutiny

Herald Sun Poll: 65% Agree that the Official 9/11 Story does not Stand up to Scientific Scrutiny

• Shannon Deery, Stephen McMahon
• From:
  
  Herald Sun
  
• October 21, 2010
  12:30PM

 VICTORIAN
Trades Hall president Kevin Bracken remains unrepentant after his
controversial comments about the 9/11 attacks made news around the
world.

Mr Bracken sparked outrage yesterday when he told Jon Faine's ABC
talk-back program the attacks were not the result of terrorist activity.

He said the story was a conspiracy that "didn't stand up" to scientific scrutiny.

This morning Mr Bracken phoned into Faine's program again for a right of reply.

He said he wasn't phoning as the president of the Trades Hall council or as secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia.

Mr Bracken stood by his comments and said he had the support of 50 per cent of the community.

He also attacked Faine, claiming he was ridiculed on yesterday's program.

"Unfortunately cowards like yourself have set the political agenda in this country for too long," said Kevin Bracken

"I won't be cowered down to bullies like yourself."

Yesterday, Julia Gillard has dismissed as "stupid and wrong" Mr Bracken's belief.

The
Federal Opposition seized on the comments in Parliament, with Victorian
MP Josh Frydenberg asking Ms Gillard what action she would take against
Mr Bracken “to send a message that such remarks are unacceptable”, The Australian reported.

“Obviously I don’t agree with the remarks, obviously they are stupid and wrong,” Ms Gillard said.

“The Labor Party is a large organisation, people join it as individuals – we don’t dictate what people think.”

After
being accused by Liberal frontbencher Christopher Pyne of not answering
the question on discipline, Ms Gillard said: “If it is the intention of
the Leader of the Opposition to expel every member who says something
stupid, I’ll start sending him a weekly list.”

In Victoria, Shadow
Attorney General Robert Clarke said Mr Bracken's comments were a direct
insult to Australian soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

"It strikes
at the very heart of the West's struggle against terrorism and it is a
disgrace that while Australian soldiers are serving and dying in
Afghanistan that Mr Bracken make these wild claims that undermine the
very reason for their presence in Afghanistan," he said.

Mr Clarke
called on Premier John Brumby to condemn these comments in the
strongest possible terms and for the outspoken union leader to be
disciplined.

"The Trades Hall Council needs to consider Mr
Bracken's future as its president and the MUA needs to consider his
future as their secretary,'' he said.

"These comments can't stand they need to be condemned in the strongest possible terms.''

Trades Hall secretary Brian Boyd said Mr Bracken did not speak on behalf of the organisation.

"The official Trades Hall position is not to entertain that theory," Mr Boyd said.

"We had almost 3000 working people killed in that terrorist attack. It was a terrorist attack, and we condemn it."

Mr Boyd said Mr Bracken's views had caused many debates behind the walls of Trade Hall.

"He is welcome to his views and we've discussed his theories," he said.

"But I totally disagree."

Mr Boyd said he stood by his colleague despite his extremist views.

"99 per cent of the time Kevin's a very good president," he said.

MUA
national secretary Paddy Crumlin distanced the union from the comment,
releasing a statement saying its position on the attack was
"unambiguous".

"The 9/11 tragedy was a result of a terrorist attack by international terrorists who claimed responsibility," he said.

"It
is the MUA's position - one that I passionately support as national
secretary - that this attack is one of the greatest affronts and abuses
of human and civil rights in contemporary history."

This is not
the first time Mr Bracken has voiced his controversial opinions on the
attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon.

In 2006 he told The Australian he believed the attacks only worked because the US Government was in some way involved.

"If they want to stop terrorism they've got to look at who was really behind September 11," Mr Bracken said at the time.

"It
couldn't have happened unless there was participation from key elements
of the American military and government and security services. I am not
saying the whole lot were involved. But I believe the official story
for September 11 doesn't stack up."

Mr Bracken said in 2006 his
views on the terror laws and September 11 were his own, and he was not
speaking on behalf of the union.

- with Ewin Hannan