And Senator Fraser Anning’s charging Australian taxpayers for his presence standing side-by-side the likes of United Patriots Front founder Blair Cottrell, including $2800 on flights (he flew business class).
His attendance has been condemned by some politicians, with Senator Sarah Hanson-Young urging the government to make him “irrelevant” in Parliament by rejecting his vote.
“This bloke is abhorrent and he is hanging out with idiots and they are dangerous idiots,” she told They are people calling for mass cleansing. Just because somebody might be of African descent or have black skin,”
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has also released a strongly-worded statement calling on voters to simple get rid of him at the next election.
“As the granddaughter of Polish migrants who made Australia home after fleeing the brutality of the Nazi regime, I am appalled that an elected representative would attend such a rally,” she said.
Extremist gatherings and the promotion of offensive views achieve nothing good and only serve to foster hatred.
They should always be condemned.
Let racism wither away while we devote our time and effort to an inclusive and respectful society.
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) January 6, 2019
Meanwhile, a petition’s circulating on change.org declaring Anning should have to pay his own airfares.
Anning’s defended his attendance, saying he was representing the people of Queensland. He claims there “were no Nazis at the rally”.
But footage and photographs from the event show Nazi salutes.
The diggers would be rolling over in their graves. What a disgrace to see an Australian flag and a nazi salute in the same picture.
A bunch of bogan Incels! pic.twitter.com/PhZxhspgT0— HempHeart✌ (@jennyocj) January 7, 2019
fraser
Anning also old Seven’s Sunrise program that he wasn’t there “to have a picnic” and that attending was actually the last thing he wanted to do, because he had his family with him.
He then told Nine’s Today show that those at the rally were “decent Australian people who demonstrated their dislike for what the Australian Government has done.” Cottrell, the man Anning was photographed standing next to, has previously called for photos of Adolf hitler to be in every classroom in Australia.
A reminder, it was Anning who also used the term “the final solution” in parliament back during his maiden speech to Parliament back in August. He’s already been dumped by the One Nation party and by Katter’s Australia Party.
Politicians on both sides of government have called out Anning’s presence at the rally, including Opposition leader Bill Shorten. Tony Abbott told 2GB Anning’s attendance was “poor judgement” while immigration minister David Coleman said Anning should “absolutely not have attended”. Independent MP Kerryn Phleps told ABC New Breakfast the rally should be called out for what it is, “a demonstration by a neo-Nazi group”.
Anning told the ABC this morning that it “won’t worry me in the slightest” if he’s not re-elected.