The lawfare has begun: the Osman Faruqi v Mark Latham “anti-white racism” case kicked off in the Supreme Court of NSW today with Toni Morris of QUT students 18C fame representing the former Labor leader.

Legal and administrative matters were dealt with by lunchtime and the case was adjourned until March 2018, with a trial expected to begin later in the year.

On his online Outsiders program, Latham blasted former Greens staffer turned pop-culture website editor Faruqi for alleged anti-white racism.

In his Statement of Claim Faruqi said Latham defamed him by claiming he “knowingly assists terrorist fanatics who want to kill innocent people in Australia,” and “condones the murder of innocent people by Islamic terrorists.”

In his defence pleadings Lathan has submitted 10 pages of Tweets by Faruqi in which he says the journalist denigrates white people. At one stage recently, Faruqi tweeted to friend and young Muslim commentator Yassmin Abdel-Magied, “The white people are getting f****d Yas, it’s happening.”

After the hearing, Latham was stoic but he noted that this was an example of “the process is the penalty, but I’m determined to fight it”.

He said it was not just the matter of his case “but about the whole issue” of reverse racism.

Latham opponents of his work are trying to ruin him financially and has appealed to supporters of free speech to help.

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