Tony Abbott’s fury is heard all across the world

AS Russian President Vladimir Putin cops it from the world’s media as the villain, Tony Abbott is being portrayed in a good way.

AS Russian President Vladimir Putin cops it from the world’s media as the villain over the shooting down of flight MH17, Tony Abbott is being portrayed around the globe as emotional and angry — but in a good way.

The Prime Minister has led the charge in condemning the downing of the Malaysian passenger plane over the Ukraine, which has resulted in descriptions of him in media reports around the world as emotional, angry, frustrated and furious.

These traits in Mr Abbott are in the main being reported positively, as behaviour indicative of an Australian Prime Minister rightly expressing empathy and a sense of outrage at the loss of so many citizens.

Many international reports have included Mr Abbott’s personal story of how, “my own daughters flew on MH17 some months ago on their way home from Europe”.

But the main focus has been on the PM’s “fury”.

In the US, 24-hour news channel CNN headlined its report, “Australia’s anger at Russia”, noting “the Kremlin has criticised the country’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott over his harsh words on possible Russian involvement in the tragedy”.

US television network NBC picked up on Mr Abbott’s revulsion with the way the crash site was secured. National US daily newspaper USA Today also gave prominence to some of Mr Abbott’s more forceful statements about the crash site under the control of pro-Russian separatists.

“Given the almost certain culpability of the Russian-backed rebels in the downing of the aircraft, having these people in control of the site is a little like leaving criminals in control of a crime scene,” the newspaper quoted Mr Abbott.

In Britain’s Daily Telegraph, he was characterised as furious.

“Tony Abbott ... has labelled the attack on MH17 a crime ... declaring he was ‘filled with revulsion’ ... (and) barely containing his fury at a press conference,” the paper reported. “Mr Abbott expressed frustration.”

London-based international news agency Reuters also focused on Mr Abbott’s aggression at Russia, declaring the Prime Minister had launched an “angry attack”.

“Tony Abbott delivered a scathing assessment of the situation,” the news agency’s website reported.

In British newspaper The Times, Mr Abbott was portrayed as an empathetic prime minister.

“An emotional Tony Abbott said that his first priority was to retrieve their bodies”, the newspaper reported. “You look at the faces of the dead and they’re your neighbours, they’re your friends, they could be your kids because, let’s face it, we’re people who like to travel.”

Even Australian news website Crikey, not known for heaping praise on Mr Abbott, declared his response as “justified and appropriate”.