Turnbull criticises MP’s ‘inappropriate’ gun post

SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday criticised a “very inappropriate” Facebook post by an outspoken conservative lawmaker showing himself holding a handgun and appearing to threaten “greenie punks”.

George Christensen, a Lower House MP from Queensland, had posted the photo on Saturday with the comment, “you gotta ask yourself, do you feel lucky, greenie punks?” – a reference to Clint Eastwood’s famous line in Dirty Harry.

It prompted the leader of the Greens, Richard Di Natale, and another environmental activist to refer the photo to police.

“It was clearly very inappropriate. I will let the police complete their evaluation,” Turnbull told local 3AW radio yesterday.

“I think we agree on that and he’s taken it down.”

The Australian Federal Police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation into the photo, while Queensland state police said they found no offence had been committed.

The post drew widespread criticism and was labelled “insensitive”, mainly because it came just days after a US high school shooting that left 17 people dead.

Christensen, who belongs to the Nationals Party, later amended the post to read: “You gotta ask yourself, do you have a sense of humour, greenie punks? Obviously not.”

He later removed that post as well, saying the Greens leaders had sent their “left followers into apoplexy about my tongue-in-cheek Dirty Harry photo”.

“Now these keyboard warriors are trolling my page so hard their fingers are bleeding from the typing,” he wrote on Facebook.

Di Natale said Christensen was giving licence to people to behave in a violent way towards others with a different view.

“It’s disgraceful, irresponsible, it’s shameful,” he told ABC radio. – dpa