Highly offensive posters of Tony Abbott plastered across Sydney
NSW Police has released CCTV footage of two men they believe could assist in the investigation of Tony Abbott posters with offensive words plastered across Sydney’s northern beaches. One was tattooed, wearing a beanie and had a moustache. The other was wearing a hoodie and had a beard.
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These are the two men police believe could help in the investigation of offensive posters with Tony Abbott’s head plastered across Sydney’s northern beaches.
The images come from CCTV footage taken from Henrietta Lane in Manly
One man is wearing a yellow beanie, white T-shirt with jeans and work boots. He also had a tattoo on the inside of his right arm and a moustache.
The other man is wearing a black hoodie with a black peak cap and dark blue trackpants. He also has a beard with a moustache.
PM CONDEMNS POSTERS
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has condemned the posters that have gone up around the Warringah electorate with a picture of Tony Abbott’s head and offensive material plastered across it.
The posters, featuring the words ’c***’ and ‘Pell’ were plastered across the Warringah electorate overnight, and have been spotted in other suburbs in Sydney earlier in the week.
“In our society, we’ve gotta learn to disagree a bit better. That doesn’t mean we have to agree all the time, but I think we can disagree better than we currently do. And I have noticed that there is a bit more of a nastiness that is attached,” Mr Morrison said.
“I mean, there have been swastikas on Josh Frydenberg’s posters. I mean, this sort of thing, you know, isn’t the way that we should engage in politics in Australia. I think that’s really disappointing. And I obviously don’t condone anything like that.”
Mr Morrison said the election campaign has seen some “extreme activism” in the community including the recent vegan activists “storming people’s farms” and calls for better behaviour.
“We’re one of the oldest democracies in the world, and I think it’s important that we conduct that democracy in the best possible way we can. I mean, people storming people’s farms and thinking that anything is justifiable because they have a particular point of view, well, no, it’s not, actually,” Mr Morrison said.
“You can’t go around storming people’s homes and farms because you hold a particular view about, you know, policy or things like this. I don’t think that’s the way things should be done.”
ABBOTT: A NEW LEVEL OF NASTINESS
Mr Abbott believes politics in Australia has reached a “new nastiness” after offensive posters depicting his face were plastered around his Sydney electorate.
Mr Abbott responded to offensive posters featuring his face spotted across the Warringah electorate saying the smear was “not about me, it’s about the contest”.
Police confirmed they received calls about the vile posters this morning including two plastered on busy traffic corridor Military Rd, near The Spit Bridge.
Another poster bearing the word ‘c***’ was spotted near a Seaforth childcare centre while posters outside a Lane Cove Childcare Centre caused headaches for staff who received abusive phone calls as a result.
Mr Abbott said he had not experienced anything like it before.
“I think this is a new nastiness in Australian politics,” he told reporters. “I’m not for a second suggesting that any of the candidates in Warringah are somehow doing this but it is a fact that there are some pretty nasty people who want change here in Warringah.”
Speaking on Sky News earlier today, Mr Abbott said the offensive material was “not about me, it’s about the contest”.
“Yes it’s a local contest but it’s going to have enormous ramifications for our country,” he said. “We know the election is tight. What that means is a result here in Warringah could critically impact the result in Canberra.”
‘WE’VE HAD PHONE CALLS FROM ANGRY LOCALS’
NSW Police are investigating the offensive slogans and graffiti, and asked people to come forward with information. The posters “have been or will be removed”, a spokeswoman said.
The posters caused distress at Rita’s Family Day Care in Lane Cove North, where an image of Mr Abbott and the word ‘Pell’ written on his face, left staff “disgusted”.
“We have taken the posters down and it’s appalling. We’ve had phone calls from angry locals telling us how bad we are for putting it up, but we never had anything to do with it,” CEO Rita Totino said.
“Whoever did put it up is disgusting and to think that it is appropriate to put it up, especially at a childcare centre is not OK and wasn’t a smart idea.”
Mrs Torino said her staff discovered the posters when they arrived to work at 7.30am.
“We notified police and they told us to take it down straight away … It was easy to peel off and it must’ve been done early in the morning because it was too fresh,” Mrs Torino said.
“I have staff now in tears and it’s absurd because it has nothing to with us.”
Independent candidate for Warringah, Zali Steggall, responded to the posters on Twitter, rejecting suggestions made on social media they were linked to her campaign.
“My volunteers have signed an extensive code of conduct. They are under strict instructions not to engage in negative behaviour, as I have been the subject of a non-stop smear campaign from Mr Abbott and his supporters and do not condone that type of politics …
“I strongly reject any allegation that the posters have anything to do with my campaign or my volunteers, and call upon anyone suggesting that it does to provide evidence.”
Similar explicit posters have been spotted in the Inner West suburbs of Enmore and Marrickville earlier in the week.
Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells labelled it “absolutely disgusting”. “This is a new low in political life,” she told 2GB radio.
Northern beaches Mayor Michael Regan has condemned the offensive posters of Mr Abbott that have been plastered around the area and has vowed to remove any of them that are left.
“There is no room for rude or offensive posters in any election campaign and I am sure none of our local candidates would endorse such behaviour,” Cr Regan said.
“The Council will remove any offensive posters from public land.”
The offensive posters come just weeks after Jewish MP Julian Leeser’s campaign posters were defaced by Nazi symbols.
Vandals drew swastikas and a Hitler moustache on images of the Liberal member for Berowra in Sydney’s north.
Mr Leeser believes the anti-Semitic attack was “designed to send a message” to him as a prominent member of the Jewish community.
— with AAP
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