Australian senator egged over comments on Muslims, punches teen

Australian Senator Fraser Anning was hit with an egg after he made controversial comments on Muslims following the attack on two mosques in Christchurch, The New Zealand Herald reports.

News Deskbdnews24.com
Published : 16 March 2019, 08:33 AM
Updated : 16 March 2019, 08:35 AM

The incident occurred at an event in Melbourne which saw protestors and supporters of the controversial senator clash.

Video footage shows a young man watching Senator Anning from the side-lines before he starts filming him with his mobile phone and smashes the egg on the back of the senator's head.

A shocked Anning slapped his face in response before a fight broke out.

Australian Senator Fraser Anning has an egg smashed on his head while talking to the media in Victoria, Australia Mar 16, 2019. REUTERS

The young man was held down and questioned by officials before being led away by police.

Senator Anning had earlier been widely condemned for his "disgusting" comments after he released a media statement on Friday afternoon, in which he said the attacks highlighted the "growing fear over an increasing Muslim presence" in Australian and New Zealand communities.

He went on to claim the real cause of the bloodshed that's left at least 49 people dead is New Zealand's immigration policy.

"The real cause of bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration programme which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place," Senator Anning said in the statement.

 

Senator Anning went on to say that while Muslims may have been victims of attacks, he claimed they were also perpetrators and blamed deaths on "the entire religion of Islam". "It is the religious equivalent of fascism," he said.

He ended with a passage from the bible and said those who followed a violent religion that called on them to murder "cannot be too surprised when someone takes them at their word and responds in kind".

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed the Queensland senator for his comments, calling them disgusting.