An Aboriginal activist told Ben Fordham he had ‘put a target’ on himself in a tense on-air exchange after the 2GB radio host labelled him a ‘pest and a moron’.
Paul Silva, a Black Lives Matter campaigner, made headlines last week after he told a police officer the law did not apply to him because he’s Aboriginal.
Silva was pulled over on March 30 at South Kempsey, on the NSW mid-north coast, for allegedly using his mobile phone while driving.
Fordham obtained an audio recording of the subsequent interaction, in which Silva was repeatedly obstructive, telling the officer the ‘law doesn’t apply to me as an Aboriginal man’.
Despite this, he was later charged with two driving infringements.
After the radio host labelled him a ‘pest and a moron’, Silva rang up 2GB on Monday to accuse Fordham of ‘poor journalism’ for not finding out the ‘back story’.
Paul Silva (pictured), a Black Lives Matter campaigner and a proud Dunghuttii man, made headlines last week after he told a police officer the law did not apply to him because he’s Aboriginal
Mr Silva told Ben Fordham (pictured) he had ‘put a target’ on himself in a threatening on air exchange after the 2GB radio host labelled him a ‘pest and a moron’
The pair went back-and-forth before Fordham asked Silva if there was anything new.
‘I’ll see you around,’ Mr Silva warned Fordham.
‘You’ve now put a target on yourself, right? For you to sit there and call me a pest and a moron, I’ll show you what a pest and a moron does, right?
‘I’ll be hanging around at 2GB all day today waiting for you to come out. You can go down to the underground car park and find out.’
Unfazed, Fordham warned Silva that the police will be listening.
‘They’ll be saying “hang on a moment, this sounds like a man making threats”,’ he added.
Silva then said that it was not up to him how people interpreted his words.
‘If you feel harassed or threatened in any way shape or form, I’m sorry you feel that way,’ he said.
‘I can’t control the way someone feels based off the words that I say, mate.’
Fordham told Silva he needed to ‘chill out’ before ending the call.
Last week, Fordham shared audio from the moment Mr Silva had been pulled over by officers
The abrupt ending drew to a close a conversation that had been heated from the very start.
Silva wanted to know why Fordham had covered the story in the first place.
He reiterated his claim that the current laws do not apply to him because they were being ‘forced on Aboriginal people’ on ‘stolen land’.
Fordham questioned why Silva was taking the matter to court if that was the case.
Last week, Fordham shared audio from the moment Silva had been pulled over by officers.
‘So you’re from mid-north coast police station, right?’ Silva said to the police officer.
The officer was heard twice asking Silva for his driver’s license.
Silva replied ‘Don’t raise your voice, sir. Activate your body cam, please.’
When the officer told him his body camera was already on, Silva again said ‘Well, don’t raise your voice at me’.
The officer told him that all Silva had to do was ‘just follow directions’, but he again refused to comply.
‘No, no, no, no, no, I don’t follow your directions. Your law doesn’t apply to me as an Aboriginal man,’ he said.
Despite his claim’s that the law does not apply to him, NSW police confirmed that a 26-year-old male driver was issued with two traffic infringement notices (stock image)
‘I stopped you for a reason,’ the officer responded, getting frustrated at Silva’s behaviour.
He then asked the activist not to yell at him.
‘If you (don’t) want to be yelled at, stop yelling at me, I’ll yell back at you,’ Silva replied.
The officer then said: ‘Mate, you’re getting very close to being arrested.’
Despite his claim’s that the law does not apply to him, NSW police confirmed that a 26-year-old male driver was issued with two traffic infringement notices.
Driver used mobile phone where not permitted and use horn or similar device unnecessarily were the charges brought against the man.
He allegedly excessively beeped the vehicle’s horn as he drove away.
Silva previously made headlines for holding Black Lives Matter demonstrations during the pandemic.