Elle Hunt 

Peter Duttons around world respond to ‘truly Trump-like’ mad witch comment

The Twitter response to the immigration minister mistakenly texting a journalist his description of her as a ‘mad fucking witch’ has been swift and fierce, but not all of it is reaching its intended target
  
  

Professor Peter Dutton (@Peter_Dutton), director of the China Maritime Studies Institute at the United States Naval War College in Rhode Island (left) and the Australian minister for immigration, Peter Dutton (@peterdutton_mp) on the right.
What’s in a name? Professor Peter Dutton (@Peter_Dutton), director of the China Maritime Studies Institute at the United States Naval War College in Rhode Island (left) and the Australian minister for immigration, Peter Dutton (@peterdutton_mp) on the right. Composite: Twitter/AAP

Peter Duttons the world over have attempted to distance themselves from the Australian politician who mistakenly sent a derogatory text to the woman it was about.

The immigration minister called a senior News Corp journalist, Samantha Maiden, a “mad fucking witch” in a text message reportedly intended for the ousted former minister Jamie Briggs on Sunday.

Since then at least two Twitter users with the same name have received abusive and critical tweets intended for or referring to the Australian minister, whose handle on the site is @PeterDutton_MP.

Professor Peter Dutton (@Peter_Dutton), director of the China Maritime Studies Institute at the United States Naval War College in Rhode Island, took umbrage at being described as a “perfect example of rude Coalition politicians”.

When another user explained the Australian politician Peter Dutton’s texting gaffe, the American academic Peter Dutton described it as “truly Trump-like”.

But another Peter Dutton (@peterdutton) was more sympathetic to the minister.

The New York resident has been fielding messages for the Australian minister for over a year, a repeated case of mistaken identity he refers to in his Twitter bio: “part-time Supreme Ruler and Lord Protector of Australia”.

“No idea what you’re talking about because I’m not an Australian MP,” he told two users in October 2013. “I get a handful of misdirected complaints. Don’t think I’d like getting called names as a regular job! :-)”

The New York resident and the Australian minister had a friendly interaction last year.

Tweeting in response to a since-deleted tweet from the Australian youth mental health foundation Headspace, the New Yorker said: “I’m pretty sure you mean @PeterDutton_MP – I haven’t been to Australia in like 15 years!”

The minister himself replied: “I’m sure you get lots of misdirected tweets – mainly abuse I suspect. My apologies. All the best.”

The Australian minister Peter Dutton politely refused the New York resident Peter Dutton’s offer to forward on the abusive tweets he received, but vowed to buy him a drink for his pains.

The New York resident continues to field tweets intended for the Australian minister – mostly abuse from left-wing voters.

“At least the [right-wing nutjobs] aren’t tweeting mean things to me!” he said to a Liberal Australian Twitter user who apologised for the case of mistaken identity last week.

When a Twitter user complimented his Flickr set of fireworks on Sunday, he replied with gratitude: “Thanks much! Glad to get a tweet from Australia that’s not abuse!”

“I’m surprised you haven’t changed your name. There’s plenty more abuse to come,” tweeted self-described “Australian everyman” Tim Jones of Tinonee, New South Wales, in a reply that was presumably not intended as a threat.

A third Peter Dutton mistaken for the minister – this one a school organist from the English town of Horsham – had expressed confusion in November.

But not all the Peter Duttons active on Twitter were having the same problem, with Christian Texan @PeterDutton5; Mancunian @ppdutton88; film distributor @pkdutton; sports science graduate @peteydutts; football fan @PeteDutt; Vancouver-based realtor @peterduttonvan; and @CantStopDutton among those to have never tweeted at the Australian minister.

The minister has not posted to his account since Christmas.

 

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