Falling In Reverse vocalist Ronnie Radke has found himself reported to local police in Tasmania after recently launching into a lengthy diatribe against several members of the Launceston, Tasmania City Council.
Last week saw that city’s mayor, Matthew Garwood, come under fire to spending time with Radke at a meet & greet during one of the band’s Australian shows this month. Given Radke‘s controversial past and penchant for divisive commentary on social media, several members of the Launceston City Council spoke out against Garwood for the meet, with Garwood eventually issuing an apology to those he offended for spending some time with Radke.
Radke however went on an expletive-laced rant, individually targeting a pair of Launceston City Council members, as well as Australian public broadcaster ABC for their reporting on the matter. Radke went so far as to share the Instagram handle of one of the Launceston City Councillors on his Instagram, encouraging his followers to “go give [her] the much needed bullying she deserves.”
In the initial response to the uproar of Garwood attending the meet and greet with Radke, the multi-platinum musician took issue with commentary from two Launceston City Councillors specifically, one of whom criticized Garwood (and Radke) as follows:
“I stand in solidarity of all the women who have suffered at the hands of violence whose voices are continually silenced while men like Ronnie Radke are given hero status.
I’m sure the women of Launceston who attended the launch of the 16 days of activism [against gendered violence] would be questioning the sincerity of the words spoken by our mayor on that day.”
A separate Launceston City Councillor made mentioned of messages from concerned citizens she claimed to have received in the wake of Garwood meeting with Radke, stating, “They are understandably perplexed why our mayor would stand in solidarity with a person convicted of parole violations associated with violence.”
It was those two statements in particular that drew Radke‘s ire, with those city councillors being the primary target of a vicious video tirade launched by Radke. You can dig into that in in this past report.
In response to that video, City Of Launceston CEO Sam Johnson has publicly condemned Radke for his actions, while revealing his video and social media posts targeting the city councillors has been forwarded to the local police. That statement was issued this past Friday, March 21st, and reads:
“The City of Launceston condemns the dangerous and irresponsible actions of US singer Ronnie Radke, who has used his social media platform to incite harassment and abuse against elected councillors.
His recent Instagram video – which calls on his followers to target and intimidate Councillors who expressed concerns over a photo with the Mayor – is not only reckless but entirely unacceptable.
Councillors have a duty to represent the interests of the community without fear of intimidation or abuse. No individual – celebrity or otherwise – has the right to weaponise their platform against those who exercise their democratic right to voice concerns.
Mr Radke’s actions place undue risk on the safety and wellbeing of Councillors and their families, creating a hostile environment that goes against the principles of free speech, accountability, and civil discourse.
The council will not tolerate threats or harassment directed at its elected members or staff. We will be working closely with Tasmania Police to monitor the situation and ensure that those responsible for any abusive or threatening behavior face appropriate consequences.
We call on Mr Radke to immediately retract his inflammatory statements and take responsibility for the harm his words have caused. We’ve reported the video to Instagram, and are urging this and any other social media platforms to take swift action in addressing the misuse of their services to incite targeted harassment.
The City of Launceston is committed to serving our community with integrity and transparency. Attempts to intimidate or silence Councillors or staff will not succeed and we will continue to champion the values of democracy, respect, and public service.
Sam Johnson OAM
Chief Executive Officer
City of Launceston”
Seemingly unfazed by the condemnation, Radke followed up with another video yesterday, March 22nd. In it, he went on to further call out the Launceston City Councillors and other detractors of his actions. At one point, he inferred, “you know that they’re literally libel in court just for defaming my name, just randomly.”
Radke captioned that video in part with:
“…Y’all deserve this shit I just fueled your fucking economy and this is the thanks I get. Getting called a predator and abuser by your councilman. A musician. your councilman and you make your entire state and country look stupid as shit.”
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