Richard Marles defends AFP amid claims they ‘failed to protect’ Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe

The Deputy Prime Minister has responded to revelations that neo-Nazis have threatened Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe ahead of the Voice referendum.

The Deputy Prime Minister has argued against claims the Australian Federal Police has failed to protect an Indigenous senator against death threats and far-right attacks.

Disturbing remarks were levelled against independent senator Lidia Thorpe in a video posted by neo-Nazi extremists on Thursday.

Senator Thorpe responded by accusing the AFP and federal government of failing to protect her, revealing that she had received “death threats” ahead of the October 14 vote.

Speaking out on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles pressed that the AFP was well-equipped to keep parliamentarians from harm.

“This is done at arm’s length from government. It is a matter for the AFP and (they) assess all members of parliament in terms of their security,” he said.

“I have confidence in the AFP – it’s a great agency – but certainly every member of parliament, but every person who’s participating in this debate, should be able to do so in a manner where they feel safe.

The lead-up to the Voice should be a time for ‘unity’, Richard Marles said. Picture: Martin Ollman/NCA NewsWire

“There’s no place for the video that we saw.”

During a press conference in Melbourne on Thursday Senator Thorpe accused the Voice referendum of causing “nothing but pain and misery” and said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had “refused to protect the black sovereign woman”.

“The police are part of the problem in this country – and I can’t ring triple zero and I can’t rely on Victorian police,” she said.

Mr Marles pressed that the weeks ahead of October 14 were an opportunity to bring Australia together.

“It‘s obviously a very important moment for the country. We believe it can be a very unifying moment for the country, but it’s so important that this debate is done in a respectful way,” he said.

Peter Dutton lashed the arrogance of the Yes campaign on Friday. Picture: Supplied.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton took aim at the Yes campaign on Friday, claiming he was “abused” by radio personality Ray Martin during a fiery speech at a Yes campaign event in Sydney last week.

Martin doled out a harsh critique to the anti-Voice “If you don’t know, vote No” slogan, arguing voters either had to be a “dinosaur or a d**khead” if they couldn’t understand the referendum question.

Mr Dutton lashed out at the prominent broadcaster, declaring that celebrities and “elites” were isolating the Yes case.

“These sort of comments actually drive people to a No position because they’re just asking reasonable questions,” he told Today.

“The funny thing actually is that he has no idea how much damage he‘s done.”

Originally published as Richard Marles defends AFP amid claims they ‘failed to protect’ Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe