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Ongoing death threats have led to political commentator and YouTube satirist Jordan Shanks, known online as FriendlyJordies, taking down a YouTube video.
“You win. We’re taking down the video,” said Shanks in a statement posted on his website. “Congratulations. You run this city.
A blaze breaks out at the Bondi house of Jordan Shanks on the night it was firebombed in November 2022.CREDIT: ONSCENE BONDI, SALLY RAWSTHORNE
Although Shanks did not name any person or group in his statement, NSW Police have charged an associate of one of the state’s most dangerous crime families, the Alameddines, over the firebombing of his Bondi home in November 2022.
Links to the notorious family featured in the video which was aired before the firebombing.
Titled “Coronation,” the 46-minute long video, broadcast in August 2022, centred on the property development company of the same name which briefly employed former deputy premier John Barilaro when he left politics.
Barilaro was hired as Coronation Property’s executive director, despite the job not being advertised, from February until June 2022, when he resigned to take his controversial and now-abandoned New York trade role.
John Barilaro took a job with property developer Coronation after leaving politics.CREDIT:KATE GERAGHTY
Coronation’s former company secretary Andy Nahas’ alleged links to high-profile associates of the Alameddine crime family were examined in the video.
“Police have made it very clear that many of the prime suspects in the firebombing are in that video,” said Shanks in the statement on his website.
When the Alameddine associate was arrested over the arson attack in December, Detective Superintendent Gordon Arbinja said the person “has links to an organised crime group situated in the south-west of Sydney”. He also said police believed it was a “strong possibility” the firebombing was in retaliation for videos posted on the FriendlyJordies site.
Shanks said his organisation had done “our absolute best” to keep the video up. “Believe me, we have.” However, they couldn’t afford the possible deaths of innocent people hanging over their conscience, he said in his statement.
“In other words, you win. We’re taking down the video. Congratulations. You run this city.”
Shanks said they had contacted appropriate authorities about the threats, to no avail. “It appears these men are free to point the scythe at anyone they wish, blackmail them with the most heinous, violent acts imaginable and there is not an authority in the land powerful enough, or perhaps foolhardy enough to check them.”
The video was not taken down because of defamation threats, Shanks told the Herald, “but because of death threats against multiple people.”
Video Link
CCTV of two cars carrying men linked to Sydney's underworld has been released as police investigate the alleged arson attack on YouTube personality Friendlyjordies' Bondi home.
“We stand by every word in that video,” he said.
There is no suggestion that any member of the Nahas family nor Barilaro had any knowledge of or involvement in the arson attack on Shanks’ Bondi rental property, which suffered significant damage when firebombed in November 2022.
The YouTuber was not home at the time. There had been another attempt to firebomb the same house the previous week.
“We can take solace in the fact that we did our part - more than our part. More than we will ever be able to publicly divulge. We ran out onto no man’s land without any support and support never came,” Shanks’ statement concluded.
Ongoing death threats have led to political commentator and YouTube satirist Jordan Shanks, known online as FriendlyJordies, taking down a YouTube video.
“You win. We’re taking down the video,” said Shanks in a statement posted on his website. “Congratulations. You run this city.
A blaze breaks out at the Bondi house of Jordan Shanks on the night it was firebombed in November 2022.CREDIT: ONSCENE BONDI, SALLY RAWSTHORNE
Although Shanks did not name any person or group in his statement, NSW Police have charged an associate of one of the state’s most dangerous crime families, the Alameddines, over the firebombing of his Bondi home in November 2022.
Links to the notorious family featured in the video which was aired before the firebombing.
Titled “Coronation,” the 46-minute long video, broadcast in August 2022, centred on the property development company of the same name which briefly employed former deputy premier John Barilaro when he left politics.
Barilaro was hired as Coronation Property’s executive director, despite the job not being advertised, from February until June 2022, when he resigned to take his controversial and now-abandoned New York trade role.
John Barilaro took a job with property developer Coronation after leaving politics.CREDIT:KATE GERAGHTY
Coronation’s former company secretary Andy Nahas’ alleged links to high-profile associates of the Alameddine crime family were examined in the video.
“Police have made it very clear that many of the prime suspects in the firebombing are in that video,” said Shanks in the statement on his website.
When the Alameddine associate was arrested over the arson attack in December, Detective Superintendent Gordon Arbinja said the person “has links to an organised crime group situated in the south-west of Sydney”. He also said police believed it was a “strong possibility” the firebombing was in retaliation for videos posted on the FriendlyJordies site.
Shanks said his organisation had done “our absolute best” to keep the video up. “Believe me, we have.” However, they couldn’t afford the possible deaths of innocent people hanging over their conscience, he said in his statement.
“These figures are once again venting, threatening dire consequences if the video isn’t taken down. Given these people’s colourful history we don’t consider these to be idle threats,” said the statement.
“In other words, you win. We’re taking down the video. Congratulations. You run this city.”
Shanks said they had contacted appropriate authorities about the threats, to no avail. “It appears these men are free to point the scythe at anyone they wish, blackmail them with the most heinous, violent acts imaginable and there is not an authority in the land powerful enough, or perhaps foolhardy enough to check them.”
The video was not taken down because of defamation threats, Shanks told the Herald, “but because of death threats against multiple people.”
Video Link
CCTV of two cars carrying men linked to Sydney's underworld has been released as police investigate the alleged arson attack on YouTube personality Friendlyjordies' Bondi home.
“We stand by every word in that video,” he said.
There is no suggestion that any member of the Nahas family nor Barilaro had any knowledge of or involvement in the arson attack on Shanks’ Bondi rental property, which suffered significant damage when firebombed in November 2022.
The YouTuber was not home at the time. There had been another attempt to firebomb the same house the previous week.
“We can take solace in the fact that we did our part - more than our part. More than we will ever be able to publicly divulge. We ran out onto no man’s land without any support and support never came,” Shanks’ statement concluded.
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