
Australians are feeling a lot today. Overwhelming sorrow and grief for the 49 New Zealanders killed in Friday’s terror attacks on two Christchurch mosques, sympathy for the families affected, admiration for the bystanders that risked their lives to help, even a touch of fear. But there’s also shame.
Mostly because one of the three men in custody – the apparent mastermind – is Australian. But now also because of the comments of Fraser Anning, a Queensland senator, who yesterday released a public statement in which he “condemned” the violence but blatantly supported the ideology that underpinned it.
“The real cause of bloodshed on New Zealand streets today,” he wrote, “is the immigration program which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place.”
The outrage came thick and it came fast, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison among those to shout down Anning’s claims.
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.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) March 15, 2019