Australia’s Senate will rebuke far-right Senator Fraser Anning, who blamed Muslims for violence after the New Zealand terror attack that killed 50 worshipers at two mosques.
The text of a bipartisan motion, led by Senate leader Mathias Cormann and Senate opposition leader Penny Wong, said Anning seeks “to attribute blame to victims of a horrific crime and to vilify people on the basis of religion, which do not reflect the opinions of the Australian Senate or the Australian people.”
The motion will move when the Senate next month.
The controversial independent lawmaker has been under fire since his comments on Friday that came just hours after the massacre, including calling Islam “the religious equivalent of fascism” and that the cause of the shootings was letting “Muslim fanatics” migrate to the country.
Anning was egged by a teenager while speaking to reporters on Saturday.
The footage showed Anning being approached from behind at a political event before having an egg cracked on the back of his head. Anning then appearing to try to hit the teen, before the youth was dragged to the ground.
Victoria Police said the 17-year-old was arrested, but was released without charge pending a further investigation.
A campaign launched on GoFundMe had raised more than A$19,000 (US$13,500) by yesterday for the teen to cover the cost of legal fees and so he could “buy more eggs.”
“Anning’s “conflation of this horrendous terrorist attack with issues of immigration, in his attack on Islamic faith specifically, these comments are appalling and they’re ugly and they have no place in Australia,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told journalists on Saturday.
Wong accused Anning of attempting to use the tragedy to grab attention ahead of elections in May. Analysts say Anning is unlikely to be re-elected as an independent candidate in May.
Meanwhile, Australian Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs David Coleman announced on Saturday that controversial conservative speaker Milo Yiannopoulos would not be allowed to enter the country following Yiannopoulos describing Islam as a “barbaric” and “alien” religion.
“Mr Yiannopoulos’ comments on social media regarding the Christchurch terror attack are appalling and foment hatred and division,” Coleman said in a statement.
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