Christchurch mosque shooting: Australian senator blames Muslims
Fraser Anning says Islamophobic terror attack is result of immigration by followers of the ‘religious equivalent of fascism’
An Australian senator has sparked outrage by claiming that Muslim immigration is to blame for mass shootings at two Christchurch mosques that have claimed at least 49 lives.
As New Zealand reels from the emerging reports of the massacre, Fraser Anning, who sits as an independent senator for Queensland, tweeted: “Does anyone still dispute the link between Muslim immigration and violence?”
The tweet prompted a “fierce and negative response”, says New Zealand-based news site Stuff.co.nz.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In a follow-up statement, Anning wrote that “whilst this kind of violent vigilantism can never be justified... 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”.
He ended the incendiary statement by attacking Islam as “the religious equivalent of fascism”, adding: “Just because the followers of this savage belief were not the killers in this instance, that does not make them blameless.”
Three men and a woman are in custody in connection to the Christchurch shootings, at least one of whom is an Australian national.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was among those who condemned Anning’s remarks, calling them “disgusting”.
“Those views have no place in Australia, let alone the Australian Parliament,” Morrison tweeted.
Anning’s inflammatory comments also drew international criticism.
British Home Secretary Sajid Javid tweeted: “At a time for grieving and reflection, this Australian senator Fraser Anning fans the flames of violence & extremism.”
Anning was elected to the Australian Senate in 2016 as a member of the far-right One Nation party. However, shortly after his swearing-in ceremony, in November 2017, he announced that he had left the party following a fall-out with leader Pauline Hanson, and would sit as an independent.
In June 2018, he joined the newly formed Katter’s Australian Party, but was expelled just four months later for his extreme anti-immigration rhetoric, including referencing a “final solution” to the issue - echoing language used by Nazi leaders planning the Holocaust.
A proponent of “traditional family values” who opposes same-sex marriage, foreign aid and “third world immigration”, Anning is especially notorious for his virulent Islamophobic views.
“In his maiden speech to parliament, Mr Anning called for a ban on Muslim immigration and urged a return to the White Australia policy” of the 1950s and 1960s, under which non-European immigration to Australia was severely restricted, reports Sydney-based site SBS News.
The senator has said repeatedly that Islam is “incompatible” with Australian life and tweeted earlier this week that he was “totally against any Muslims in our parliament”.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Trump is ruled in contempt'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Hainault sword attack: police hunt for motive
Speed Read Mental health is key line of inquiry, as detectives prepare to interview suspect
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Shardlake: a 'tightly plotted, gorgeously atmospheric piece of television'
The Week Recommends Arthur Hughes captivates in this 'eminently watchable' Tudor murder mystery
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Do youth curfews work?
Today's big question Banning unaccompanied children from towns and cities is popular with some voters but is contentious politically
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Sydney mall attacker may have targeted women
Speed Read Police commissioner says gender of victims is 'area of interest' to investigators
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why are kidnappings in Nigeria on the rise again?
Today's Big Question Hundreds of children and displaced people are missing as kidnap-for-ransom 'bandits' return
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
What is the new definition of extremism?
Today's Big Question Michael Gove on a mission to 'push for more stringent measures to tackle extremism in the UK'
By The Week UK Published
-
The Red Army Faction: German fugitive arrested after decades on run
Why Everyone's Talking About Police reward and TV appeal leads to capture of Daniela Klette, now 65
By The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
How the idyllic Galapagos Islands became staging post in world drug trade
Under the radar Ecuador's crackdown on gang violence forces drug traffickers into Pacific routes to meet cocaine demand
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Armed gangs, prison breaks and on-air hostages: how Ecuador was plunged into crisis
The Explainer Gangs launch deadly revenge after president declares state of emergency following escape of feared drug boss from prison
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published