New South Wales Premier Mike Baird just needs to stay away from social media. Seemingly every time he takes to his official Facebook page, he stirs up more controversy and generally comes off like an arrogant and insensitive jerk.
Case in point, Baird made a post on Saturday to celebrate the state’s apparent “graffiti removal day”, which has been copping serious criticism ever since for its “arrogant” and “obnoxious nature. It’s easy to see why.
“Did you know that NSW has an official ‘graffiti removal day’?” the premier’s post read. “Well, it does. And it’s today. Just saying.” Accompanying the post was a photo of him standing in front of the infamous mural depicting him at a gambling table.
The mural is a work by local street artist Scott Marsh, who painted ‘Casino Mike’ back in April to protest the way the city’s lockout laws have been handled. Despite being the most violent venue in the city, Star Casino is exempt from the lockouts.
As ABC News notes, his witty little post didn’t sit well with those who actually saw it. It’s been slammed as “smug”, “arrogant”, and “obnoxious”. “Graffiti removal day, fun removal day, live music removal day, wow. What will you think of next?” one commenter wrote.
“Except this isn’t grafiti, its art, and paints a very clear picture about the kind of sub-humans we have running our country and stealing from our pockets. How about we just remove you instead,” another penned.
“Imagine being this ignorant?” wrote triple j alumnus and DJ Nina Las Vegas. “Imagine ignoring the cries of your city and actually mocking it? Mate, there’s a reason why we hate you,” she added, summing up the sentiments of many.
