In light of reports of a sickening act of racial violence in Western Australia, Senator Lidia Thorpe has said there are clear links between politics of hate and acts of hate.
Police in Western Australia are currently searching for a man who had a swastika painted on his forehead when he allegedly attacked an Indigenous woman, who was with her daughter, with a makeshift flamethrower in the southeast Perth suburb of Gosnells.
Police say the man yelled racial obscenities at the woman before attempting to burn her with the flamethrower made using a can of deodorant and a lighter. The woman is said to have sustained minor injuries.
Detective Senior Sergeant Sean Bell said it was a cowardly attack.
“This type of behaviour is not acceptable and is not tolerated within our community,” he said.
“Any assault on a mother and her daughter simply going about their lawful business trying to get something to eat for dinner is atrocious. But when you add in the racial element, it’s certainly not tolerated by society and we treat it very, very seriously.”
On Wednesday morning, Senator Thorpe said in a statement she was appalled by the violent attack, and that hate crimes like this happen when politicians and public figures amplify the politics of hate.
“Racism kills. It harms people. I am appalled at this terrible act of violence – this shocking hate crime. But it doesn’t come from nowhere,” she said.
“There is a clear link between the politics of hate, and acts of hate. When politicians and prominent public figures spend years encouraging and amplifying the politics of hate, the inevitable outcome is violence.
“Right now, there is a moment of reckoning around the culture at Parliament House. This place should be setting the standard – but right now, it’s rife with discrimination of all kinds, including racism, sexism and misogyny.
Right now, there is a moment of reckoning around the culture at Parliament House. This place should be setting the standard – but right now, it’s rife with discrimination of all kinds, including racism, sexism and misogyny.
— Lidia Thorpe (@lidia__thorpe) February 23, 2021
“It’s absolutely necessary for politicians of all stripes not only to stop the racism in this place, but to send a clear message that it’s not in any way acceptable. We are meant to be uniting this country, not dividing it.”
Meanwhile Senator Mehreen Faruqi accused the government of refusing to take far right extremism and racism seriously, saying they must act now to prevent the issue from getting worse.
“This is a horrendous act of racist violence and I hope the perpetrator is identified and prosecuted without delay,” Faruqi said.
“Far-right extremists and neo-Nazis are feeling emboldened. This is the crisis the government refuses to take seriously. The Liberals do not acknowledge racism and far-right extremism as existential threats to the community.
“The government has refused to commit any funding to anti-racism initiatives, or dedicated programs to tackle the far-right. The Liberals even go out of their way to re-write motions in parliament to remove references to far-right extremism.”
The racist attack comes just weeks after the Coalition – supported by One Nation and Centre Alliance – edited a Senate motion that aimed to call out “far right extremism”, to instead see “far right” mentions removed and “far left” mentions included.
The original motion, introduced by Senator Kristina Keneally, had the words “there has been a significant increase in far-right extremism in Australia” deleted and replaced with “Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world”.
On social media, Labor’s Linda Burney said it was essential that we challenge right wing extremism in the community.
“The racially motivated attack on a First Nations woman is another instance of a disconcerting trend in right wing extremism and white supremacy in Australia. We cannot brush this aside or be complacent,” she said.
The racially motivated attack on a First Nations woman is another instance of a disconcerting trend in right wing extremism and white supremacy in Australia. We cannot brush this aside or be complacent. We must remain vigilant and challenge this in our community.
— Linda Burney MP (@LindaBurneyMP) February 24, 2021