The image has been lifted from a 2013 article in the Evening Standard, a London newspaper, about the stabbing murder of 15-year-old boy Negus McClean by four black male teenagers. “A Liberal government will give police the power and support they need to break up gangs and stop them hunting in packs,” the flyer reads. It has been authorised and printed by Nick Demiris, state director of the Victorian Liberals, and carries an image of Opposition Leader Matthew Guy alongside Mr Taylor, who is a former Liberal councillor for Frankston. The Liberal Party flyer by Keysborough candidate Darrel Taylor. Credit:Twitter Human rights activists said the flyer was racist.

“It's clearly designed to dehumanise African Australians and other migrant groups,” GetUp! Human Rights director Shen Narayanasamy said. Ms Narayanasamy said it was “a clear dog-whistling campaign by the Liberal Party in Victoria aimed at dividing Victorian communities”. Roj Amedi, senior human rights campaigner at ColourCode, said that although the flyer did not specifically show black people, it used clearly coded language that “lowers people to animals, using words such as hunting in packs”. “It’s not just targeting adults, it’s also targeting kids, which means that young African Australians will be far less safe walking down the street,” Ms Amedi said. Sudanese teenager Liep Gony was bashed to death in a racially motivated attack in Noble Park in 2007. One of the two killers spraypainted "f--- da niggas" on the wall of his home before the attack.

Ms Amedi said the flyer could provoke the same racist sentiment that inspired Liep Gony’s killers 10 years ago. Edward O'Donohue, the shadow minister for community safety, told ABC Melbourne the flyer was not targeted at any race. "What we are concerned about is gang violence and gang behaviour by anyone, no matter where they're from or their background," Mr O'Donohue said. "This is about making the community safer," he said. "We're prosecuting the case for change when it comes to our justice system and we've got a very clear agenda when it comes to that."

A Liberal Party spokesman said the only people complaining were those who deny there is a violent youth gang problem. "Violent crime is one of the biggest issues that is worrying Victorians and we aren't going to stop talking about it and our minimum mandatory sentencing policy," the spokesman said. There have been several reported incidents of violent crime and riotous behaviour by African-Australian youths in Melbourne in recent months. Loading African community leaders and Victoria Police have both said a small core of repeat offenders have been responsible for most crimes.