360 made his debut on beloved ABC panel program Q&A last night, taking on topics such as life in outer space, music, and racism. During a discussion about racism in Australia, the rapper, real name Matt Colwell, opined that he now identifies the flag of Australia with racism.

“There’s so many racist bigots in this country and they’re everywhere,” Colwell said. “I was talking to someone about this earlier, but the Australian flag, to me, has now become… I identify that with racism. Does anyone else?”

After a modest applause from the in-studio audience, Colwell, who’s long been outspoken about what he views as prevalent racism in Australia, was asked to clarify his “pretty controversial statement” by host Tony Jones.

“On Australia Day, you see a bunch of dudes walking around with their tops off and they’re getting on the drink and all that, they’ve got an Australian flag around their neck,” he began. “I’ve seen it so many times.”

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“I’ve been in a taxi where we’ve pulled up because these dickheads have been walking across the road and they just start yelling at the taxi driver, ‘Get out of the country! This is not your country!’ You know what I mean? And they’re wearing Australian flags. I’ve seen it so much, growing up, still today. It’s pathetic,” he continued.

Jones then asked Colwell about one of his lyrics – a line from his anti-racism track On A Planet No One Knows on which he raps, “I don’t wanna have fans that are racist pigs“.

Asked if he believes there’s a racist contingent in his fan base, he replied, “Definitely. I think in hip-hop in this country, I think there is a lot of racist people. It’s not all, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying everyone is, but there is, and if you are, I don’t want them people at my shows. I don’t want anything to do with them.”

Following a backlash online, Colwell took to his Facebook page to respond, writing, “If [you’re] not a racist, I was not referring to you. People keep saying I disrespected people who fought for the flag – No one fought for the actual flag, they fought to keep our country free and democracy and not for the racist bigoted place it’s become.”

“I think those who fought under the flag for this country would be ashamed of the racism under the guise of patriotism in Australia,” he added. “And again, if ur not racist – I wasn’t talking about you – why so offended? I would never disrespect the diggers. I appreciate all they did for our country but I feel the flag has been re-appropriated and doesn’t represent the same values as it used to.”

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It was around this time last year that Colwell made headlines during Brisbane’s Sprung Hip Hop Festival, when he premiered On A Planet No One Knows after giving a rousing speech about racism in Australia

“This song is about racism in Australia,” he told the audience. “There’s a lot of racist cunts in this country. I don’t know if people are proud to admit it, or what, but there is.”

“If you’re someone who believes ‘Fuck off, we’re full’, you’re a fucking dickhead, straight up,” he said after his performance. “No matter what colour or background we are, there are fuckheads in every single race. Generalising everyone is fucking ignorant and uneducated and stupid. If you’re offended by this then you’re probably fuckin’ racist and you should fuck off.”

Much like his appearance on Q&A, Colwell then explained his view of the popular Southern Cross tattoo, saying, “When I said that Southern Cross [tattoo] shit, I don’t mean everyone who has a Southern Cross tatt is racist. You’re allowed to be proud of where you come from, right? But a lot of the cunts with Southern Cross tatts are fucking racist and that’s a fact.”

Readers can check out Colwell’s full appearance on Q&A via ABC iview here.

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