Mural depicts senator Fraser Anning as a Nazi

Renowned street artist Scott Marsh talks about why he featured right wing Queensland senator Fraser Anning in his latest mural and about how he has received death threats for his controversial works.

Street Artist Scott Marsh looks up at his latest mural depicting Senator Fraser Anning. Picture: John Appleyard

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Renowned mural artist Scott Marsh has struck again with a provocative depiction of right wing Queensland senator Fraser Anning as a Nazi.

The mural, painted on the back wall of the Botany View Hotel in Newtown, features the controversial politician sporting an Australian flag as a cape and doing the Nazi salute with “F**k off we’re full” and Bundaberg Rum tattoos emblazoned on his chest.

Marsh told the Inner West Courier that Senator Anning’s recent attendance at a far right wing rally in St Kilda, where attendees were pictured doing Nazi salutes, was one catalyst for choosing the senator as his latest subject.

Scott Marsh received death threats for this depiction of Tony Abbott and Cardinal George Pell.

Senator Anning also made headlines when he used the term “The Final Solution” during his maiden speech to parliament in which he called for an end to Muslim immigration.

“Really the reason I ended up painting him was after an interview I saw of him where he was like: ‘I’m not racist because I got a photo with these two Vietnamese guys’,” Marsh said, which explains why Mr Anning is holding a Vietnamese roll in the mural.

The mural of Senator Anning was finished on Sunday. Picture: John Appleyard

“I think that’s pretty common in Australian culture where people say they’re not racist but then say a whole heap of casual racist stuff so that was kind of the idea I was taking a stab at.

“It really sucks because I love Australia, I love my country, I’d love to wear my flag with pride but all these arseholes have reappropriated our flag and kind of taken it away from us and given it new meaning where you almost feel embarrassed to be going around with your flag when you should really be able to enjoy that.”

The mural, which was also painted on the Botany View Hotel, was defaced. Picture: AAP Image/ Danny Aarons

Marsh has been undeterred by death threats he has received for his murals, which have included the “Saint George” mural depicting late singer George Michael in Erskineville which he plans to re-create this year after it was defaced by a man who claimed he was defending his religion.

The most controversial was “The Happy Ending” mural of Tony Abbott, dressed as a bride with his hand down the rainbow pants worn by Cardinal George Pell with a speech bubble stating “Oh YES” after the same sex marriage vote.

“I think that was mainly to do with people being angry at the end of the plebiscite and wanting to lash out at something,” he said.

“(Negative comments were) everything from ‘It’s blasphemy to its pornography to go to hell’ and all the craziest homophobic shit you can think of and I was getting a lot of death threats; apparently there’s a lot of Christian bikies … they were trying to find out where my studio was.”

The Saint George mural was also defaced.

Marsh is careful never to show his face in photos or do any television.

With a background in painting trains, he isn’t too bothered when people desecrate his political murals, which he mostly does for “shits and giggles” for free.

“The thing is with these murals is however many people see it physically, thousands more see it online so it almost gets its own life online and on social media rather than in the space it’s painted.

“It’s funny cause every time they paint over it, it just amplifies the message a million-fold so they really just shoot themselves in the foot.”

Pictures of the 'Legalise It' mural of Greens Leader Richard Di Natale painted on the back of The Botany View Hotel in Newtown. Picture: Julian Andrews.

He doesn’t specifically aim to shock people but rather aims for his murals to generate “proper discussion”.

“I think humour cuts through all the bull shit; if you make someone laugh you can actually connect with them on something.

“If you go too serious people just put a wall up and they don’t want to deal with it.

“I want to be funny more than provocative. Another reason I think people enjoy it is there’s nothing more Australian than taking the piss out of something that you’re not supposed to so a lot of people relate to that.”

His feedback to the Fraser Anning mural was “99 per cent supportive”.

He plans to depict NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and sign wearing peace activist Danny Lim in upcoming murals.

Senator Anning was contacted for comment on Monday and a response is being prepared.