Australian League of Rights

:"League of Rights" redirects here. For the British group, see "British League of Rights"

The Australian League of Rights is a minor political organisation in Australia founded by Eric Butler with its basis in the economic theory of Social Credit expounded by C. H. Douglas. [Campbell, A.A. (1978) "The Australian League of Rights: a study in political extremism and subversion", Outback Press, Collingwood, p. 3] It describes itself as upholding the virtues of freedom. It is not a political party, but rather sees itself as a watchdog against government intervention.

The League was formed in 1960 by a merger of various Leagues of Rights based in the Australian states, the first of which was based in South Australia from 1946.

The League's founder Eric Butler died on June 9 2006, at the age of 90.

Anti-Semitism

The League, like many other far-Right organisations, strongly denies that the Shoah or Holocaust, during which millions of people, particularly European Jews, were killed, ever occurred. It is strongly supportive of the polemicist and Holocaust denial advocate David Irving. [ [http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/ahric/ajhr/V1N1/ajhr1110.html AHRIC - Australian Journal of Human Rights (1994) 1 AJHR] ] They believe that the world is run by a secret society of Jews. [Butler, E. (1946) "The International Jew: The Truth About the Protocols of Zion"] The League is distinctive for asserting that "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" is a genuine Jewish document (the Encyclopædia Britannica for example describes the Protocols as a "fraudulent document that served as a pretext and rationale for anti-Semitism in the early 20th century").

Other Views

The League describes itself as being based on the principles of Christianity and is vehement in its anti-communism. They argue in favour of capitalism by promoting the sanctity of private property and individual enterprise. They are keen promoters of Social Credit. They are strongly monarchist and completely opposed to Australian republicanism and see the links to Great Britain as being fundamental to Australian identity.

Connections to other groups

Relations with neo-Nazi groups

The League has been accused of being associated with the now-defunct Australian National Socialist Party. [Harcourt, D. (1972) "Everyone Wants To Be Fuhrer: National Socialism in Australia and New Zealand", p. 115)]

Relations with One Nation, Australians Against Further Immigration, Australia First and National Action

Former Western Australian Labor MP, founder of the Australia First Party and later One Nation member Graeme Campbell was associated with the League at the same time as he was a member of One Nation and Australia First. Mr Campbell stated that "Australia First has no association with the League. It's me with the association." [ [http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2001/s297349.htm 7.30 Report - 15/05/2001: One Nation Senate hopeful maintains link with League of Rights ] ]

Former treasurer Peter Costello stated that One Nation's policy of a state bank which would issue low-interest loans was directly taken from the ALOR, and that "the League of Rights is driving its policy in relation to banking and money" [ [http://www.treasurer.gov.au/tsr/content/transcripts/1998/030.asp Treasury Ministers Portal ] ]

The Australian branch of the B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission issued a press release that "The Co-founder of Australians Against Further Immigration (AAFI), and One Nation’s Victorian leader Robyn Spencer has addressed numerous League of Rights meetings as well as delivered a speech with League of Rights, Advisory National Director Eric Butler." [ [http://www.wej.com.au/adc/media/19June.htm ADC Anti Defamation Current Media Release 19 June 1998 ] ]

ALOR is also allegedly associated with National Action. [Gleason, D. (1994)]

Relations with the National Party

In the 1970s and early 1980s, the League attempted to gain control of the National Party of Australia, encouraging members to join the party in sufficient numbers to take control, a tactic known as entryism. Doug Anthony led an effort to defend the Party from the League by recruiting people who would vote against them. After a long struggle over several years, the existing leadership prevailed. A surprising consequence of this struggle was that the National Party, which got far fewer votes than either the Labor or Liberal parties, had more members. This fact became much more widely known than the reason for it, with both sides keeping the struggle out of the media.

Relations with overseas groups

It has been associated with the now-defunct New Zealand League of Rights, the Canadian League of Rights and through the British League of Rights also the John Birch Society in the United States. [Campbell, A.A. (1978) "The Australian League of Rights: a study in political extremism and subversion", Outback Press, Collingwood, p. 170]

Critics have pointed to the past participation of the League in the former World Anti-Communist League alongside dictatorial regimes like that of Augusto Pinochet.

References

ee also

*Eric Butler
*David Irving
*Social credit
**Douglas Credit Party (Australia)
**Social Credit Party (New Zealand)
**Canadian social credit movement

External links

* [http://www.alor.org Australian League of Rights website]