Georgie Gardner’s horror interview with MP
Fraser Anning took to live TV this morning to double-down on why he used a term associated with the Nazi plan to kill millions of Jews in his maiden speech to Parliament yesterday.
In his controversial speech, the Queensland crossbench senator called for a “final solution” plebiscite on which migrants come to Australia, as well as calling for a Muslim ban and a return to the White Australia policy.
Appearing on the Today show, host Georgie Gardner asked him why he was targeting Muslims.
“I think that we can’t take the risk of bringing people into this country that commit crimes like the Bourke Street massacre or the one we just saw in London today,” he said. “I think we have to protect Australian citizens.”
He claimed that for every 1000 Muslims brought into Australia, there are “50 that want to kill us”. He also added that “Apex gangs in Melbourne” are entirely made up of Muslims.
“I don’t want those people in this country,” he said. “People are being murdered by these people.”
When asked about his use of the Nazi term “final solution” in his speech yesterday, he said he “didn’t even think” about whether it would be offensive.
“All I said was the final solution to the immigration problem is a vote of the Australian people,” he said. “That has nothing to do with the ‘Final Solution’, the thought police got onto that.
“For everyone to take it out of context is a joke and try and shutdown debate.”
Gardner replied that it was “far from a joke” and asked whether he would like to apologise.
But Anning refused, saying: “Good men died for our right to say whatever we want to say and use whatever words we want to use.
“If people want to take it out of context that’s entirely up to them. It was never meant to denigrate the Jewish community and it’s two words and if that offends anyone unfortunately that’s the way it has to be.
“I don’t regret anything Georgie. I’m not going to apologise or regret anything I say.”
He finished the interview by bizarrely claiming Australia was on a “march towards another communist state”.
Yesterday, the Katter’s Australia Party upper house MP called for an end to Muslim immigration and an immigration program that favours “European Christian” values.
In his speech, Anning also claimed a majority of Australian Muslims live on welfare and do not work.
“While all Muslims are not terrorists, certainly all terrorists these days are Muslims,” Senator Anning said.
“So why would anyone want to bring more of them here?” He called for the government to ban all welfare payments to migrants in the first five years of living in Australia, labelling many asylum seekers as “welfare seekers”.
Senator Anning also wants a plebiscite on who comes to the country to allow people to decide whether they want “wholesale non-English speaking immigrants from the third world”.
“The final solution to the immigration problem is of course a popular vote,” he said.
The speech immediately prompted a backlash from politicians, as well as thousands on social media.
But the Senator refused to backdown, releasing a statement overnight to “repudiate baseless allegations”.
He said that people on the left were trying to shut down immigration debate.
“Claims that the words meant anything other than the ultimate solution to any political question is always a popular vote are simply ridiculous,” Senator Anning said in a statement.
“Anyone who actually reads them in context will realise this.”