politics

Adelaide parklands campaigner 'doxxed' as home address shared on social media

Adelaide parklands campaigner 'doxxed' as home address shared on social media

A prominent advocate for Adelaide's parklands says having their home addressed shared online is the "scariest thing" that has happened to them during a campaign to stop the removal of trees.

A prominent campaigner seeking to stop trees being cut down in Adelaide's parklands says they were doxxed, with their home address being shared on social media.

Adelaide Park Lands Association president Mat Monti says they had been subjected to abuse in recent months, but being doxxed was "the scariest thing that's happened so far".

Monti says they will continue fighting for the parklands despite being told by police that no offence had been committed.

A prominent advocate for Adelaide's parklands says having their home addressed shared online is the "scariest thing" that has happened to them during a campaign to stop the removal of trees.

Adelaide Park Lands Association president Mat Monti said they had been "doxxed" when the address and three photos of their apartment building was posted in a Facebook comment overnight.

"Someone in the dead of night has found out where I live and decided to plaster that on Facebook," they told ABC News.

The address of the apartment building appeared in a comment below a reel Monti had posted "weeks ago" about the Environment Minister Emily Bourke's appearance at the Adelaide Park Lands Authority.

"The initial text of that comment was having the usual go at me for not understanding that the government's replanting trees," they said.

Monti said the post, which ABC News has seen, also included "a bit of a homophobic message attached at the end".

"I've copped all sorts of abuse, the typical online abuse," they said.

"Unfortunately people have targeted me because I am queer and trans and they've commented on that to their heart's content.

"I've been called many things, I've had things thrown at me from passing cars while we've been protesting at the North Adelaide Golf Course.

"I've had death threats sent to me, but to have someone find out where I live and then post that for others to see — that's probably the worst I've experienced and it's really scary.

"It's the scariest thing that's happened so far."

The Park Lands Association president, who is a proponent of the "Stop the Chop" protests, said they were unaware how their address become known, and suggested it was "definitely a possibility" they had been stalked in person.

They have spoken out just a day after two female South Australian MPs revealed their own experiences of stalking, after SA Police said they had cautioned a northern suburbs man for separate incidents involving two MPs.

On Wednesday, Member for Elizabeth Ella Shaw described being repeatedly messaged online and followed back to her car after attending a community event, while Education Minister Lucy Hood said she had experienced similar behaviour.

Monti reported the comment to SA Police, but said they were told no offence had been committed.

In a statement, SA Police confirmed they had received a report "regarding a photo of a person's house being shared online with abusive messaging".

Monti said that was "cold comfort", and that it exposed a need for anti-doxxing laws.

"[If] posting someone's address publicly isn't an offence, I think that does show we need stronger doxxing laws — everyone was quite right to call out someone threatening to dox the premier's home address back in the early days of this campaign."

Monti posted a statement on social media in response to being doxxed, and said they did not intent to stop fighting for the parklands.

Monti said they now felt concerned about leaving the apartment building.

"I know these people can't get into my building, and they can't attack me in my home, but I've got no safety if I walk out of the house at night and someone's waiting across the road for me," they said.

"I never thought it would get to the point where I feel like I'm not safe in my home but unfortunately that's where we've gotten to."

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