Australian police investigating the bushfires have arrested more than 180 alleged arsonists in the past few months. But apparently they forgot to send the memo to Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett, both of whom insisted in their Golden Globes acceptance speeches that the Australian bushfires were in fact caused by ‘climate change.’
“Make no mistake. The tragedy unfolding in Australia is climate change-based,” declared climate expert Crowe on Sunday, in a speech read out for him at the Golden Globes by Jennifer Aniston, supposedly because Crowe was too busy at home “protecting his family from the devastating bush fires.”
But the evidence from Australia appears to contradict this.
Police arrested 183 people for lighting bushfires across Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania in the past few months. NSW police data shows 183 people have been charged or cautioned for bushfire-related offences since November 8, and 24 arrested for deliberately starting bushfires.
Various theories have been advanced for the motivation of the alleged arsonists. Some have theorised that it in some cases it may be a form of ‘arson jihad’, as advocated last year by Islamic State.
But the truth, in most cases, may be much more prosaic.
Melbourne University Professor Janet Stanley, quoted in the Australian, said that the arsonists were typically young males aged 12 to 24 or older men in their 60s – generally from an unsettled background.
She said:
“They are often kids not succeeding in school, or they have left school early and are unemployed. The boundaries between accidentally and purposefully are unclear because many arsonists don’t plan on causing the catastrophe that occurs. Often there is not an intention to cause chaos and the penalties for accidentally lighting a fire are far less than purposefully lighting a fire.”
by James Delingpole