Cessnock council votes for mosque at Buchanan

Despite a long campaign of racist vilification and threats encouraging fear and hate against a planned mosque at Buchanan, New South Wales, Cessnock Council voted 6 to 4 to support the development.

A small number of residents live on Buchanan Road, on which the mosque will be built, and some of their objections were about planning issues, for example rural zoning, traffic, school bus stop and “safety”.

The council debate showed that the safety issue was really concern about backlash against the mosque and mosque opponents being drawn to the area.

Muslims have lived and worked in the Cessnock and Hunter local government areas for more than four decades. They pay taxes and rates but have no purpose-built place of worship, unlike a large number of other mostly Christian denominations.

The far right Reclaim Australia group, led by John Oliver, moved a 2015 planned Newcastle rally to Cessnock to support the campaign against the Buchanan mosque. Oliver is linked to the white supremacist and fascist Patriots Defence League of Australia (an offshoot of the Australian Defence League). He carried a gun on the fascist United Patriots Front bus to Melbourne for a rally in July last year.

The Stop the Mosque at Buchanan Facebook page supported the racist rally. Media reports estimated that the Cessnock rally drew between 300 and 700 people. Many threats of violence and retaliation were made online and to the “Stop racism, Islamophobia and bigotry” rally, also at Cessnock.

Complaints were made to Cessnock council by some Buchanan and nearby residents who had their homes targeted by racists and were intimidated from publicly supporting the mosque.

After the council win, the Support the Mosque at Buchanan received congratulations from some Buchanan residents. The Newcastle Muslim Association said it was looking forward being part of the Buchanan community.