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Alex Greenwich suing over Mark Latham ‘grooming’ claim
Gay Sydney MP Alex Greenwich is suing Mark Latham for defamation after he alleges the One Nation NSW leader accused him of “disgusting” sex acts as well as visiting schools to “groom” children to become gay.
Alex Greenwich filed Federal Court defamation proceedings last month against Latham.
Mark Latham posted and later deleted the graphic and offensive tweet on March 30. In the lawsuit, the gay independent MP blasts the tweet as “defamatory and homophobic”.
In newly released court documents, Greenwich alleged the tweet conveyed defamatory meanings that he “engages in disgusting sexual activities” and is “not a fit and proper person to be a member of the NSW parliament because he engages in disgusting sexual activities”.
Latham’s tweet was a response to comments Greenwich gave to Nine newspapers, in which he called Latham “a disgusting human being”.
That came after queer protesters were attacked outside a forum where Mark Latham was speaking.
Alex Greenwich sues Latham over alleged ‘grooming’ accusation
In the lawsuit, Alex Greenwich also takes aim at comments Mark Latham made to The Daily Telegraph a day later that he claims suggested he was a danger to children.
He alleges those comments also conveyed defamatory meanings suggesting he “is a disgusting human being who goes to schools to groom children to become homosexual” and “is not a fit and proper person to be a member of the NSW parliament because he goes to schools to groom children to become homosexual”.
Greenwich alleged Latham’s tweets and comments harmed him by exposing him to hatred, contempt and ridicule and injured his reputation.
He said he’s received hate mail from the public, both online and to his office, including threats of violence.
Mark Latham last month declined a settlement offer and refused to apologise for the tweet. Latham’s lawyer has previously said he’ll fight the case.
The One Nation MP will file a defence by July 28, AAP reported.
Alex Greenwich also filed a separate police complaint, alleging Latham used a carriage service to “menace, harass or cause offence”.
The independent MP also lodged a complaint of homosexual vilification with Anti-Discrimination NSW.
Speaking last month, Alex Greenwich said the legal process is not “easy” and he wished he didn’t have to engage in it.
“But when someone seeks to reduce you to being a sex act, continues those attacks on you and has a history of attacking the LGBTI community, enough is finally enough,” he said.
“I am not willing to take this or ignore this.”
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