Police response to threats 'disappointing' says anti-racism campaigner

Dr Stephen Hagan says the threats he's been receiving for 20 years over the C**n Cheese rebrand have intensified, and he's reported a particularly "alarming" threat to Queensland Police.

Cheer cheese, the new name for Australian cheese brand C**n. Source: SAPUTO DAIRY

Anti-racism campaigner Dr Stephen Hagan has been receiving threats since 1999 over his campaign to have C**n Cheese renamed.

"I get phone calls, I get emails, I get letters in the mail," he told NITV News.

"The really bad ones I send on to police and I've sent plenty on to police to investigate.

"Police have been around to some people's places and they've spoken to them and said 'they don't pose any threat'.

"But it's not to be taken lightly, I certainly don't take it lightly."

Author and academic Dr Stephen Hagan says he's received a number of alarming threats during his campaign to have c**n cheese rebranded Source: SBS News

Last week, Saputo Dairy Australia, which manufactures the cheese announced the product's new name, 'Cheer Cheese'.

Since then Dr Hagan said the threats have intensified,

One email in particular alarmed Dr Hagan. It spoke of 'inferiority to the white man' and signed off with 'may the aryan man rule forever'.

Dr Hagan said he reported the threat to Queensland Police, because he was holidaying in the state at the time.

He said he was disappointed when officers suggested he should seek police protection in his home state of the Northern Territory. 

"I think they missed the point. It wasn't so much police protection I was asking for, I was asking them to use their resources to identify where this fellow comes from.

I thought my request, seeing as [the email] was from an extremist that they would have worked with other agencies to track this fella down." "He was talking about inferiority.

Dr Hagan said receiving these kinds of threats has become part of his life but the reaction to the rebranding of C**n Cheese shows the level of bigotry in Australia.

"I've always said Australia is one of the most racist countries in the world and this just backs it up," he said.

Although Dr Hagan has had to deal with hate messages and threats, he said he hopes this does not deter other people from standing up for what they believe in.

"I know it's fraught with danger but I'd like to see more people take on those in the community who think Aboriginal people should be out of sight, out of mind."