Kevin Bracken stands tall against the political and media oppression of 9/11 Truth

On October 20, Kevin Bracken, the president of Australia’s Victorian Trades Hall Council and Secretary of the Maritime Union, stirred up national controversy in the Land Down Under when he publicly questioned the official account of the destruction of the three World Trade Center skyscrapers. His impromptu discussion with Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio talk show host Jon Faine garnered so much attention that even leaders in the Australian Parliament and the prime minister herself weighed in on the issue. Little did they know that one of the catalysts for this unexpected event was the work of Richard Gage, AIA, and supporters of Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth, who met with Bracken following Bracken’s historic speech on December 11 at the LaborTech 2010 Conference in San Francisco.

Bracken originally expressed skepticism about the official 9/11 story to The Australian newspaper in 2006. He took his concerns a step further in 2008 by spurring the Trades Hall Council, which represents over 400,000 union workers, to pass a resolution calling for a new investigation into the 9/11 attacks.

However, it wasn’t until the fall of 2009 that Bracken was introduced to the evidence of the controlled demolition at the WTC. As part of the “Hard Evidence Down Under” Tour, Gage gave his presentation at the Victorian Trades Hall Council headquarters in Melbourne, and conferred with Kevin Bracken and other Council representatives.

“Gage told us all about the science behind 9/11,” Bracken explained on the Alex Jones Show, “and it was very convincing.”

With research and analysis from AE911Truth to support him, Bracken decided to take to the airwaves in October and called in to the “Talk-Back” segment of Jon Faine’s radio show on ABC.

“The official story is a conspiracy theory that doesn’t stand up to scientific scrutiny,” Bracken stated on the air. “Aviation fuel doesn’t get hot enough to melt steel, and no high-rise steel-frame building before or after September 11 has ever collapsed due to fire.”

Faine responded by dismissing the scientific evidence as a “nutter theory” and claiming that questioning the official story was an “extremist view.”

ABC Host Jon Faine, a critic of 9/11 Truth, refused to debate Kevin Bracken about the scientific evidence

Reports of this heated conversation soon took the Australian media by storm, and less then 24 hours passed by before the leader of the national legislature was forced to respond to the issue. When Parliament member Josh Frydenberg asked newly elected Prime Minister Julia Gillard what sort of discipline Bracken should face, Gillard called Bracken’s remarks “stupid and wrong.” Unfortunately, they both failed to address the forensic and video evidence that clearly document that the Twin Towers and WTC Building 7 were brought down by explosives.

Undeterred by the political pressure, Bracken contacted Jon Faine’s show again the next day for a right of reply. Even though Faine repeatedly ridiculed him, he stood by his statements and challenged Faine to a debate.

"Unfortunately cowards like yourself have set the political agenda in this country for too long,” Bracken said. “I won’t be cowered down to bullies...”

Amidst the media frenzy that Bracken had initiated, the Victorian Trades Hall Council stood by its president and resisted calls for him to be reprimanded. Although Brian Boyd, the Secretary of the Trades Hall Council, disagreed with Bracken’s remarks, he told Faine that Bracken “is welcome to his views” and that he does not doubt his judgment and credibility.

The Australian public also gave an outpouring of support. “I’ve been flooded with emails of people congratulating me for speaking up,” Bracken said. An informal poll sponsored by the Australian Herald Sun news site provided additional reinforcement, with over 76% of respondents stating that Bracken’s comments were reasonable.

The buzz created in Australia quickly caught the attention of 9/11 Truth groups in the United States, and labor activists who have also been calling for an independent investigation took notice. The organizers of LaborTech, an annual conference that brings together labor, video, computer, and media activists in the U.S., also contacted Bracken and invited him to speak at their next meeting in San Francisco to report to U.S. labor what the buzz was all about.

“Every time someone joins 9/11 Truth, it helps the movement,” said labor organizer John Parulis. “When it is a leader like Kevin Bracken, the impact is even greater.”

Bracken’s speech at the LaborTech conference brought together the labor movement and the 9/11 Truth movement in a unique and effective way. Bracken described the struggles that labor activists had to endure during the Australian dock strike of 1998, and explained how the corporate media has manipulated the discussion about 9/11 in the same way that it has controlled the labor movement.

“I was delighted to hear Bracken share his story,” Gage said, “and how very important the awareness of the truth about 9/11 is to the labor force, who can use it to expose massive crimes and abuses that affect all of us.”

Parulis was also impressed by Bracken’s sincere plea for justice. “It was great for him to come and show solidarity with us,” he said. “His intelligence and commitment to the issue of 9/11 could be heard clearly though his passionate words.”

The video recording of his heartfelt speech has been posted on 911Blogger.

Bracken described to San Franciscans how he "woke up" to the contradictions surrounding the official 9/11 conspiracy theory

After the event, Gage and other 9/11 Truth advocates who attended gave Bracken plenty of scientific literature to take back to his colleagues in Australia, including copies of the 9/11 Investigator and 9/11: Blueprint for Truth.

“When he opens his mouth, at least 400,000 workers listen – perhaps even a few million,” Gage said, “so hopefully these materials will help him spread the word in his country and around the world.”

Over the last few years, we’ve seen political leaders, civil rights icons and mainstream news personalities express support for the work of AE911Truth, and Kevin Bracken is another example of the achievements that are possible when people stand up for what is right and call for accountability. Fears about job security still prevent many individuals from taking an active role in the 9/11 Truth Movement, but Bracken has demonstrated that political position and career status are only imaginary barriers to speaking the truth. When enough people from all walks of life step out of the shadows and demand a real investigation, the justice that we all seek will finally be within reach. Join now with those of us who are speaking out loudly so that this elusive goal becomes reality.