YouTuber Friendlyjordies will take an indefinite hiatus from posting videos after his home was “firebombed” earlier in the week.
The comedian, whose real name is Jordan Shanks-Markovina, said in a video posted Wednesday that he would refrain from publishing more video content “for obvious reasons”.
“I would like to take this opportunity to say that I think that we’ll just tone back the videos for a bit,” he said.
“And by tone back I mean, that’s it for a while, for obvious reasons. We’ll get back to it at some point, but for now, Friendlyjordies is on an indefinite hiatus.”
Shanks-Markovina was not home when his home in Sydney’s east was set ablaze early Wednesday morning.
Emergency services were called to the home at 12.20am, and the fire was extinguished after it caused significant damage to the house and a property next door, NSW Police said. No one was hurt.
Police are treating the fire as suspicious, and investigators are probing whether there are links to another fire at the same address earlier this month.
The YouTuber’s lawyers, Xenophon Davis, tweeted after the fire: “We confirm that Jordan Shanks’ home was firebombed last night. He is safe. We hope that every possible police resource is dedicated today to securing evidence and intel. It might even warrant a strike force focused upon terrorism and attempted homicide rather than dangerous jokes.”
Shanks-Markovina was the subject of a high-profile defamation claim by former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro last year. Shanks-Markovina and Barilaro settled the case late last year after the creator paid $100,000 in legal costs to Barilaro, apologised for hurt caused and edited some of his videos.
Shanks-Markovina also faces criminal contempt proceedings launched by ClubsNSW over a video published showing an interview with a former employee who has alleged the industry’s non-compliance with anti-money laundering laws.
If citizens can be firebombed for doing journalism then we aren’t really a democracy under the rule of law. It’s essential that the police find whoever did this and throw the book. FJ may have annoyed many people over the years, but the list of his recent targets who had motive and means to do this is not very long at all.
All very Putinesque. Stay away from windows, mate.
We’ll miss you Jordie!! Come back soon.
OH Please!
Are any bookies putting odds out on how long it will take for NSW Police to charge somebody – and I dont mean Shanks!
So the police will be investigating themselves and the thugs they possibly maybe blackmailed into firebombing this place. Grand conjecture on my part, yes, but still not unlikely given our continuing erosion of civil liberties and us inching ever-closer to a police state.
FriendlyJordies is the gadfly we need, but don’t deserve.