Anning’s censure for ‘ugly’ remarks
INDEPENDENT senator Fraser Anning has been censured by Parliament for “shameful and pathetic” comments linking the Christchurch terror attacks to Muslim immigration.
The Queenslander was rebuked by his colleagues yesterday for blaming Muslim migrants for the horrific attack last month in which a white supremacist allegedly killed 50 worshippers at mosques.
“Senator Anning’s comments were ugly and divisive. They were dangerous and unacceptable from anyone, let alone a member of this place,” Government Senate leader Mathias Cormann told Parliament.
Labor’s Senate leader Penny Wong said while scores of injured people were being treated for gunshot wounds, Senator Anning (above) fanned the flames of division.
“How pathetic. How shameful. A shameful and pathetic attempt by a bloke who has never been elected to get attention by exploiting diversity as a fault line for political advantage,” she said, without mentioning his name.
Senator Anning entered Parliament after One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts was disqualified for being a dual citizen.
He was widely condemned for a series of racist comments including a reference to the “final solution” – a Nazi term – in his first speech to Parliament. Senator Anning said he had pointed out that New Zealand’s immigration policy allowed radical Muslims into their country, which helped cause the massacres.
“My real crime is that I simply told the truth at a time when the left-wing political and media elites least wanted to hear it,” he said.
Senator Anning was branded a “disgrace” for saying Sudanese and Muslim migrants had a proven track record of causing crime and terrorism in Australia. “It is an established fact that diversity undermines cohesion, increases alienation and is a key driver of increasing crime,” the senator said.
Greens leader Richard Di Natale said he wanted to focus on addressing hate speech in society, only making brief mention of Senator Anning.
But the Greens’ bid to suspend Senator Anning from Parliament for the rest of the final sitting day of the year in the Upper House failed.
One Nation’s Peter Georgiou read a speech on behalf of party leader Pauline Hanson, saying they would abstain from the “public flogging” of the censure motion.