‘Unhinged’: Libs dismiss Keneally’s alt-right claims
Conservatives dismiss claims the PM is allowing “alt-right’’ Americans into Australia.
Conservatives have labelled Labor’s home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally as “unhinged’’ after she claimed Scott Morrison was allowing pro-gun “alt-right’’ Americans into Australia who wanted to change the nation’s gun laws and promoted a culture of violence.
Senator Keneally has called on Mr Morrison to condemn the CPAC Conference this weekend where senior US Congressman Mark Meadows and top Trump fundraiser Matt Shclapp will speak alongside Tony Abbott, Peta Credlin and former deputy prime minister John Anderson.
Senator Keneally said this morning that CPAC is “importing people” who are National Rifle Association members.
The Labor frontbencher also linked the rhetoric of some of the guests to a wider “alt-right” movement and the radicalisation of alleged Christchurch terrorist Brenton Tarrant, who is charged with murdering more than 50 people in New Zealand earlier this year.
“He (Mr Morrison) won’t speak up on behalf of Australia’s gun laws at a time when NRA lifetime members are coming to Sydney, when the NRA just two weeks ago called our gun laws ineffective and for citizens to overturn them,” she told ABC radio.
“We don’t stop or prevent violence by importing people into Australia who guns are ‘a God-given right’, that guns should be owned as many people as possible in the community.
“We cannot sit here silently and watch the rise of alt-right, white supremacist extremism which is occurring in countries like Australia … we cannot sit here quietly when of our own was radicalised online and took his murderous intent to New Zealand.
“Right now these people are coming to Australia, they are going to be hobnobbing with Liberal MPs.”
Senator Keneally last week led a campaign to have far-right journalist Raheem Kassam — who will speak at CPAC — banned from visiting Australia based on a history of controversial tweets.
Coalition MP Craig Kelly will speak at CPAC this weekend and said Senator Keneally’s attacks against NRA members were “unhinged” and that no Republicans want to change Australian gun laws.
“It’s an American issue, it has no relationship to Australia. Senator Keneally is becoming seriously unhinged,” he told The Australian today.
“I spoke to today to Congressman Mark Meadows, who was on the phone to President Trump today, telling him all about Australia. America is our closest and most valued ally and Senator Keneally wants to ban them all.
“None of the Republicans visiting want to change gun laws here. Senator Keneally is getting more hysterical as the days pass.
“We are very fortunate to have had the position of John Howard took on gun laws. The US gun laws are a matter for them.”
CPAC Australia organiser Andrew Cooper said Senator Keneally’s continued attacks on his conference and her links with recent gun violence in the US and elsewhere were “unthinkable.”
“Without an ounce of self-awareness Senator Kristina Keneally has become a caricature of the very things she claims she despises; polarised US politics,” he said.
“Over the past 24 hours, in the wake of two tragic mass shootings in the US, she does the unthinkable, she attempts to link CPAC to these events. She is trying to politicise a mass shooting to stop CPAC, a conservative talkfest.”
Liberal senator Amanda Stoker is also attending CPAC and said the Labor home affairs spokeswoman’s opposition to the right-wing conference was “totalitarian”.
“Senator Keneally has confused ‘hate speech’ with ‘speech she hates’, and has indicated that if she ever had power, she’d be using it to censor the views that can be expressed in our community in a manner that is arbitrary and totalitarian,” Senator Stoker told The Australian.
“The one thing her rants over the last week have tried to do is whip up hysteria to polarise our community in precisely the manner she claims to stand against. It is the height of hypocrisy.’’
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