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Likely NSW One Nation senator calls Islam a ‘religion of hate’

EXCLUSIVE: One Nation’s lead Senate candidate for NSW said Islam is a ‘religion of hate’ and reiterated the anti-immigration party’s calls for a Royal Commission into Islam.

Likely One Nation Senator Brian Burston near his home on the shores of Lake Macquarie. Picture by Peter Lorimer.
Likely One Nation Senator Brian Burston near his home on the shores of Lake Macquarie. Picture by Peter Lorimer.

ONE Nation’s lead Senate candidate for NSW has warned ‘the Caliphate is coming’ and reiterated the anti-immigration party’s calls for a Royal Commission into Islam.

Brian Burston, a former deputy mayor of Cessnock, is likely to be elected into the NSW Senate and had yesterday polled 3.96 per cent of the vote with a little more than half of the vote counted.

Pauline Hanson arrives at her post election party to a rousing reception from the party faithful. Picture: Liam Kidston.
Pauline Hanson arrives at her post election party to a rousing reception from the party faithful. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Burston needs just 7.7 per cent compared to the usual 14.3 per cent because of the double dissolution election.

“We need a Royal Commission or an inquiry into Islam to determine if it is a religion or a political ideology and I would suggest to you that it is the later, and if that is the case then it is not eligible for tax breaks,” he said told the Daily Telegraph.

“Islam is an infringement on our culture; we’re a Christian country, I know we have some Jews as well...but the Muslims, they kneel five times a day and it’s not how we are in this country.”

Political analyst Kevin Bonham said Pauline Hanson’s One Nation was in a “strong” position to take out a seat in the NSW Senate.

“There’s a race for two seats with a bunch of micro-parties; One Nation has a big lead and they may well get preferences from some of those other parties as well,” Mr Bonham said.

“It appears their position is strong but it will be weeks until we know the final result and there’s a very long way to go still.”

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Burston said he was confident he would win a seat and said if elected, would push for an inquiry into Islam “for the good of Australia.”

His comments came as Ms Hanson yesterday refused to back down on her demands for a royal commission into Islam and a ban on any new mosques being built.

“You have our values, culture and way of life, you don’t have a full burqa,” she said.

“You don’t keep putting up mosques. You cannot deny the fact that in these mosques they have been known to preach hate towards us.”

Despite never reading the Quran, Mr Burston described Islam as “a religion of hate”.

”There are no questions about that. The Catholic Church and Jewish people don’t go and blow people up and we’re bringing people here from Syria with those ideologies.”

“They’re coming, all of a sudden they’re out to be our best mates and the one day they just take over; they will introduce the Caliphate, they want a Caliphate here and it will happen one day.”

Twins Brian and Graham Burston, both Cessnock Councillors. Piture: Gary Graham.
Twins Brian and Graham Burston, both Cessnock Councillors. Piture: Gary Graham.

He said Pauline Hanson’s One Nation was “the silent majority” and would give a voice to Australians “too scared” to speak up.

“You can’t have a beer, you can’t have a smile, the women have to be covered up like a tent; why do you think we have so much support... people are very worried and we want to protect our own people and make decisions that are for the good of Australia,” he said.

He said the decision to return to the One Nation brand from the United Australia Party had contributed to the success of the party this election.

One Nation Party founder / leader Pauline Hanson flanked by political advisor David Oldfield and party's NSW deputy leader Brian Burston whilst launching official campaign for NSW state election at Zenith Centre in Chatswood 15/03/99.
One Nation Party founder / leader Pauline Hanson flanked by political advisor David Oldfield and party's NSW deputy leader Brian Burston whilst launching official campaign for NSW state election at Zenith Centre in Chatswood 15/03/99.

Burston and co-founder David Oldfield were sensationally sacked from the from the One Nation party in 2000 following an internal dispute, but the party has regrouped with a united front.

Oldfield, a former radio talkback host, said despite no longer being affiliated with the party he was hopeful that Burston would be elected.

“I think that it is important that Pauline has more than herself in the senate. I’m hopeful that the Western Australia candidate for One Nation is elected as well,” he said.

“I think that she will be able to say a lot of things that wouldn’t otherwise be said... it is overwhelmingly and overridingly a good thing, there are many things that need to be said that political correctness and political incorrectness preclude.”

Burston and Oldfield at press conference in Parliament house in 2003.
Burston and Oldfield at press conference in Parliament house in 2003.

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party has taken more than nine per cent of the vote in Queensland which could see the party with two Senate seats in the northern state.

However the party is far from its peak, with just 112,450 first preference votes received in New South Wales.

In 1998, the party received more than a million voters support nationwide.

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/likely-nsw-one-nation-senator-calls-islam-a-religion-of-hate/news-story/9febb69516f3630785faebbf0dfdc33a