Brisbane cafe targeted by online mob after One Nation joke

A Brisbane cafe owner, Glen Morris of Glen’s Espresso, reported a sustained campaign of online abuse and review-bombing following a joke written on his business's blackboard.

The incident began after Morris made a light-hearted comment regarding the One Nation political party relocating its head office to a nearby building owned by billionaire Gina Rinehart. After the One Nation official Facebook page shared a photograph of the blackboard, Morris experienced a surge of one-star reviews on Google and Facebook from individuals who had not visited the establishment.

Morris described the situation as a “definite and deliberate attempt by their followers to ruin someone’s livelihood” based on what he considered an innocuous joke. While the cafe maintained its five-star rating due to its existing reputation, Morris noted the potential for such coordinated attacks to damage a small business's digital presence.