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Clive Palmer Claims To Be 'Political Prisoner' In Slick, Strange New Video

Clive Palmer Claims To Be 'Political Prisoner' In Slick, Strange New Video

Supporters of Clive Palmer are standing by their man, defending the embattled Queensland MP in a new video as a 'political prisoner' who is being subjected to a 'trial by media.'

The video, entitled 'Clive Palmer - Trial by Media,' is full of dramatic voiceovers, bold red text, images of barbed wire, and photos of Palmer himself looking worried during media scrums.

"Everyone’s entitled to a fair trial in Australia. Unless you’re Clive Palmer, then it’s trial by media," the voiceover booms.

"They’ll stop at nothing to get him out of government. Release Australia’s political prisoner and see more of the real achievements Palmer United has made for our country."

The 15-second clip was uploaded to the Palmer United Party's Youtube page, but was seemingly not created by the billionaire mineral magnate's crew -- the video ends with a credit to Declan Sheridan of the "Commitee (sic) of Free Speech."

The Australian reports Sheridan is a friend of Palmer's daughter Emily, with whom he has recently opened a new cafe in Brisbane.

The video makes no attempt to explain who 'they' are, but Palmer has been under intense scrutiny in recent months over the performance and management of the Queensland Nickel refinery at Yabulu. Creditors voted last week to place the facility into liquidation, in an attempt to recover millions in outstanding debts and entitlements for hundreds of sacked workers.

The issue of free speech has been one Palmer has used to defend his business interests. On April 19, the colourful Member for Fairfax held a press conference in Canberra after claiming the government had barred him from speaking in his own defence in the House of Representatives.

It was during this press conference, and afterwards in a series of tweets, that Palmer likened the government's conduct to the Gestapo.

The Australian also notes that when Palmer's former A-League football team Gold Coast United was about to be expelled from the league in 2012, the teams jerseys were altered to include the phrase 'freedom of speech'.

Palmer has reiterated that he will be seeking re-election in Fairfax at the coming election, despite recent polls placing his support at around two percent.

But if nothing else, the new video is a marked improvement in quality over some of Palmer's previous Youtube forays:

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