Jones must apologise for racist rant

Alan Jones now must apologise, both on-air and in writing, for a racist rant he made before the Cronulla riots in 2005.

In it he called Sydney's Lebanese Muslims "vermin" who "infest our shores" and "rape" and "pillage" our nation.

Sydney Lebanese leader Keysar Trad complained that three broadcasts in April 2005 had 'breached discrimination laws and incited racial hatred against Lebanese Muslims'.

Trad won in 2009 when it was ruled that one broadcast "incited hatred, serious contempt and severe ridicule of Lebanese Muslims" and he was awarded $10,000.

He then appealed, trying to prove that two other broadcasts in April of the same year had also targeted Muslims because of their race. Jones appealed in an attempt to overturn the finding of racial vilification.

Both appeals failed, leaving the ruling against Jones standing, but meaning that Trad had failed to prove the other two broadcasts had breached racial discrimination laws.

Mr Trad has said…

"We want a proper heartfelt apology, we have been waiting for seven years for an apology. We hope that this apology won't add to the insult like the apology he gave to Prime Minister Julia Gillard."

He also claims Jones has said many more offensive things about Lebanese Muslims since 2005, but "you can only run one case at a time".

He said it was a pity that the law made it so difficult to take action for racial vilification, "The offender can keep offending and it takes almost forever to get any relief [in court]."

See more in The Daily Telegraph here