Senator Fraser Anning has been involved in an ugly altercation with a teenager at a speaking event in Melbourne.
The man who was yesterday roundly criticised for his comments on the Christchurch massacre was egged at an organised event where protestors and supporters of the controversial identity clashed in wild scenes.
Senator Anning was being interviewed by a Melbourne newspaper reporter at Moorabin when a teenager broke a raw egg over the back of his head.
A shocked Senator Anning turned towards the teenager and slapped at him with an open hand in the face. He lashed out at the teen a second time as the pair were separated.
The teen was held down and questioned by officials before being led away by police. He was later released without charge pending further investigations.
After the teen was hauled away, a supporter told the senator the “younger generation” was “taking up the fight”.
Senator Anning responded: “Well he’s obviously a little on the crazy side, but yeah.”
Far-right activist Neil Erikson was involved in tackling the teen to the ground, according to The Age. He shouted at organisers to remove the protestor and to remove reporters.
“Get the journalist out of here ... If you don’t like, get out,” he said.
A tweet shared by ABC journalist Paul Barry showed the teen being carried away. A supporter of Senator Anning held the boy in a tight headlock and told him: “You are nothing but a weak human f***ing being.”
Barry went on to say Senator Anning can “resign from parliament as soon as he cleans (the egg) off”.
The clash followed a scathing response to Senator Anning’s press release in which he appeared to deflect responsibility for Friday’s attack from the gunmen to New Zealand’s immigration program.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed the Queensland senator’s comments, as did both sides of politics and the mainstream media.
Piers Morgan wrote: “Are you f***ing kidding me? This guy is an Australian senator? SHAME on you @fraser_anning.
“I hope your fellow Australians respond to this disgusting statement with the same blind fury I am feeling.”
News.com.au political reporter Sam Clench wrote: “The Australian senator currently spewing racist garbage in response to the New Zealand mosque attack got 19 votes at the last election. Nineteen. Maybe we need to rethink our electoral system.”
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Part of Queensland Senator Fraser Anning's statement on Friday’s horrific events.Source:Supplied
In his comments on the parliamentary letterhead on Friday, Senator Anning lashed out at New Zealand for the way it handled immigration.
“I am utterly opposed to any form of violence within our community, and I totally condemn
the actions of the gunman,” Senator Anning said in his statement.
“However, while this kind of violent vigilantism can never be justified, what it highlights is the growing fear within our community, both in Australia and New Zealand, of the increasing Muslim presence.
“As always, left-wing politicians and the media will rush to claim that the causes of today’s shootings lie with gun laws or those who hold nationalist views but this is all clichéd nonsense.
“The real cause of bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration program which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place.”
Queensland Senator Fraser Anning. Picture: David ClarkSource:AAP
Senator Anning went on to say that while Muslims may have been victims of attacks, he claimed they were also perpetrators. and blamed deaths on “the entire religion of Islam”. “It is the religious equivalent of fascism,” he said.
He ended with a passage from the bible and said those who followed a violent religion that called on them to murder “cannot be too surprised when someone takes them at their word and responds in kind”.
While evidence of him sharing that statement has been removed from his social media counts he tweeted:
A media adviser for Senator Anning told news.com.au yesterday there had been no backlash to the statement, but it only took minutes for social media to blow up in outrage.
Among the criticism was a rebuke by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who described the statement as “disgusting”.
“I want to absolutely and completely denounce the statements made from Senator Anning in all of the comments that he has made in his conflation of this horrendous terror attack with issues on immigration and Islamic faith,” Mr Morrison said in a press conference on Saturday.
“These comments are appalling and ugly and have no place in Australia and he should be frankly ashamed of himself.
“It’s not somerthing my government assosicates with or any one would seek to associate with.”
Mr Morrison said the government will lead a motion of censure against Senator Anning in parliament.
“Parliament, I’m sure, will express a very clear view about what he’s had to say,” Mr Morrison said.
“The remarks by Senator Fraser Anning blaming the murderous attacks by a violent, right-wing, extremist terrorist in New Zealand on immigration are disgusting.
“Those views have no place in Australia, let alone the Australian Parliament.”
Labor Opposition Leader Bill Shorten also slammed the “obscure” Senator.
“While families in Christchurch mourn for loved ones they’ve lost, an obscure Australian Senator saw this act of terrorism and tragedy as an opportunity to blame the murder victims,” Mr Shorten said.
“He deserves the contempt and condemnation of decent people everywhere. He does not speak for our parliament or our country.”
On Sky News, political journalist Kieran Gilbert said someone with those views did not belong in parliament.
“I find him absolutely disgraceful,” Gilbert said. “It’s disgusting.”
Many chose not to share the statement at all.
“No, but we do see the link between certain senators and violence,” wrote one man on Twitter.
“Please don’t do this today. Show some dignity and compassion. You might find you like it.”
Another wrote: “Fraser Anning is a bad person in his heart. Just a nasty, ugly waste of human life.”
Queenslanders said they were “disgusted” the politician represented their state.
“You are just appalling,” wrote another.
Others who supported his sentiment were also slammed.
Following the backlash, Senator Anning has continued to defend his comments.
In another tweet he doubled down saying Friday was not an “excuse” to forget lives lost to “Islamic terrorist attacks”.
Christchurch Shooting: Brenton Tarrant charged with murder1:42
Australian terrorist Brenton Tarrant has been charged with murder after he opened fire on a New Zealand mosque killing at least 49 innocent people.
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