Karl Stefanovic unleashes on 'disgusting and despicable' schoolboy group chat
Karl Stefanovic has taken a massive swing at a group of boys from an elite Sydney private school, saying the unearthed messages sent by students were the "one of the most disgusting and despicable" thing he has ever seen.
The messages were sent in a private chat on Discord and among the members in the group were current and former Knox Grammar students and friends, some with revolting anonymous usernames.
Mark Morri from The Daily Telegraph broke the story on Wednesday. He was contacted by someone associated with the school and started investigating the matter.
He eventually passed on the information he received to the authorities, given the nature of the messages.
"I hate fems I hate gays, Jews, people who don’t play Fortnite, furries, ni**ers, I love titties, feet abortion, rape, drugs …" one of the messages said, according to The Daily Telegraph.
In one message, a participant questioned why he wasn't invited to the "gang rape party".
Another expressed support for Hitler.
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One person claimed to be a "maniacal potential pedophile" who "rapes babies for a living".
Mr Morri appeared on The Today Show on Thursday to discuss the messages and Knox Grammar, which has a stated "vision" of developing students of Christian faith who display "integrity, compassion and courage".
Host Stefanovic said the messages were "deplorable" and argued the elite private school should be "run over the coals", adding that if he had a child enrolled at the school he would be pull them out.
"I think this is one of the most disgusting and despicable things I have seen," he said.
"Yes, boys will be boys but this goes too far."
Stefanovic said he does not believe the school would have addressed the issue of the group chat if Mr Morri didn't break the story.
"How are we expecting these kids to grow up, these boys to grow up and respect women when they're circulating this sort of rubbish?" he said.
School responds to Discord chat
After the story broke, a letter was sent home to parents regarding the messages and acknowledging their legitimacy.
"The nature of these posts is contrary to the values and culture of Knox and is unacceptable," Headmaster Scott James wrote.
"The actions of these boys do not reflect a Knox education or the expectations that we place on our students to be respectful and responsible citizens in the community."
He also referenced doctored images and said the parents of students which were identified in those messages have been contacted.
Mr James asked parents to speak with their sons about their use of social media and the need for them to "act respectfully".
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