Neo-Nazi act is the ugliest incident to violate Anzac Day
It is hard to conceive of a more anti-Australian act, which lays bare just how much these people’s claims to be patriots is based on a lie, writes Joe Hildebrand. SEE THE VIDEO
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Anzac Day is supposed to be Australia’s most solemn and sacred national holiday, and so campaign hostilities were again suspended as the nation commemorated its war dead.
Unfortunately someone forgot to tell the neo-Nazis.
In what is perhaps the ugliest incident to violate an Anzac Day in living memory, the Dawn Service in Melbourne was marred by booing during the Welcome to Country.
And a known neo-Nazi repeatedly interrupted the ceremony with moronic statements like “Australia for the white man”, before eventually being escorted away.
It is hard to conceive of a more anti-Australian act than such disgraceful and disrespectful behaviour, which lays bare just how much these people’s claims to be patriots is based on a lie.
Leaders on all sides were quick to condemn the action in the strongest language yet heard during this campaign.
“There is no place in Australia for what occurred in Melbourne this morning,” Anthony Albanese said.
“A neo-Nazi disrupting Anzac Day is abhorrent, un-Australian and disgraceful.”
Peter Dutton was equally strong: “To see any instance, whatsoever, of neo-Nazis in our country is just a disgrace.
“They have no place at all, and they’re a stain on our national fabric and they are not part of the Australian culture.”
Hear hear. Likewise Greens leader Adam Bandt called the incident “disgraceful”.
“There’s no room for hate, division or racism on this day or any day,” he said.
Indeed, just to underscore these noble sentiments Bandt spent Anzac Day eve partying with Abbie Chatfield and a giant red toothbrush at a Brisbane nightclub.
Brisbane is of course a long way from home for Bandt, whose seat is Melbourne, but it is, coincidentally, home to the other three seats the Greens hold in the national parliament, all of which were won at the last poll in a shock result.
And all three are under serious threat from Labor and the Coalition. Thanks to the LNP putting the Greens last, all Labor has to do is finish in the top two spots and it will almost certainly win the seats of Brisbane and Griffith — ie. if it comes down to Labor vs Green, Labor will pick up Lib preferences and if it’s Labor vs Lib the party will pick up Greens preferences.
And Bandt knows more than anyone how important these preference flows are: The only reason he won his seat of Melbourne in the first place is because the Liberals preferenced the Greens over Labor.
Lest he forget.
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