Australian senators censure colleague for comments made about Muslims after Christchurch shootings

Fraser Anning.
(Image credit: AP Photos/Rod McGuirk)

The right-wing Australian senator who said New Zealand's immigration policies were to blame for last month's shootings at mosques in Christchurch was formally censured by his colleagues Wednesday.

At least 50 people were killed in the March 15 attack, allegedly carried out by an Australian white supremacist. Sen. Fraser Anning quickly released a statement saying the "real cause of the bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration program which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place." He was swiftly criticized by the prime ministers of New Zealand and Australia, as well as other politicians.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.