Australia: Multicultural Australians reject Senator’s “Muslim ban”

Senator Fraser Anning’s remarks, during his maiden speech in the Australian Parliament on Tuesday 14 August 2018, in which he called for the restoration of “White Australia policy” and “Muslim ban” on immigration has been overwhelmingly rejected by Australians including politicians of all major political parties and various sections of the civil society.


 

His use of the word “final solution” against Muslims, used by Nazis calling for the genocide of Jews in Europe, has shocked people and has attracted worldwide condemnation.

Senator Anning’s claim that the “vast majority” of Australians want Muslim immigration cut is factually incorrect.

According to a regular, large-scale survey of attitudes to migration run by Monash University, about 80% of Australians support a non-discriminatory immigration program.

In 2017, just 15.8%of respondents said it should be possible to reject migrants based on their race or ethnicity. Although the survey found negative sentiment toward Muslims was “relatively high”, the figure did not exceed 25%.


Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull denounced Anning’s “racist remarks,” and praised the country’s multiculturalism.

“The reference in Senator Anning’s speech to the ‘final solution’ is a shocking, shocking insult to the memory of over 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust,” said Mr Turnbull, adding that it was important “to call out racism.”

A large number of MP’s in the Australian Parliament condemned the views of Senator Anning and overwhelmingly and promptly rejected them the next day.

Dr Anne Aly, Australia’s first Muslim female Federal MP while breaking down in tears in parliament said,

“I am tired of fighting and tired of having to stand up against hate, against vilification, time and time and time again. The Parliament is united today in condemnation of those terrible words that were spoken in the other place yesterday.”


Dr Mehreen Faruqi, the former Green’s MP who will be joining soon Australia’s senate as its first female Muslim Senator said that Australia’s future would be “stronger for our diversity”.

She said Senator Anning had “spat in the face of millions of Australians, spewing hate and racism” in his first speech to parliament.

“I’m a Muslim migrant, I’m about to be a Senator and there’s not a damn thing Fraser Anning can do about it,” she said.

A Jewish MP, Josh Frydenburgh and Muslim MP, Ed Husic, children of migrants from minority communities in the Parliament showed empathy after this blatant racist attack embracing each other in the parliament the next day.

Australia’s outgoing Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane said a day after the speech, “I take no pleasure in saying this, but, right now, it feels like there has never been a more exciting time to be a dog-whistling politician or race-baiting commentator in Australia.”

 

 Senator Fraser Anning’s remarks, during his maiden speech in the Australian Parliament on Tuesday 14 August 2018, in which he called for the restoration of “White Australia policy” and “Muslim ban” on immigration has been overwhelmingly rejected by Australians including politicians of all major political parties and various sections of the civil society.

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