Councillor Faces Online Hate in Mayoral Race

0:00It's April 1st, Adelaide News Today starts now, AI powered and ready, I'm Cory with the story. A Campbelltown City counselor named Yasser Azerish is catching heat online as he runs for mayor. This Muslim politician from Hectorville Ward has faced a flood of racist comments on Tiktok, Facebook and Instagram since kicking off his campaign. Last December, the abuse comes from accounts all over Australia slamming everything from as a Cooper hat to wild claims about deportation, sharia law and terrorism. Adresh has been on council since 2022, and he says the nasty remarks started popping up late last year with his campaign videos. He calls it disappointing, but just a tiny fraction of the overall feedback. Monitoring thousands of comments is tough, so he keeps them open to let real engagement happen instead of shutting it all down like some lockdown. In person though, door knocking around Campbelltown feels totally different, folks there are way more welcoming. But current mayor Joe Whitaker, who's also gunning for the job, come November, blasted

1:04Adresh for not blocking the hate faster. She says it's against council social media rules and stirring up unease in their diverse neighborhood. Campbelltown boasts the second highest multicultural population in Metro Adelaide, so these comments hit hard, making people feel less safe despite. The area's usual harmony. Council reps stress they hate, racism and are chatting with Adresh to tighten moderation on his personal pages. As the November elections heat up, this online storm shows how social media can twist real community vibes, Adresh stays focused on policies, proving resilience amid the noise.