Following reports today that an alt-right campaigner claiming to work for Senator Fraser Anning recommended stunts such as using “blackface” and burning the Islamic holy book the Qur’an as campaign tactics to gain a voice in the Australian Parliament, Amnesty International campaigner Shankar Kasynathan said:
“Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten must take a firm stand on the kind of abhorrent hate speech and politicking that sees Fraser Anning’s supporters considering outrageous and racist behaviour like using blackface and burning the Qur’an as campaign tactics.
“The fact is that when our leaders speak in ways that vilify whole communities such as migrant and refugee communities, they normalise discrimination and embolden those who support it. Instead our leaders must denounce racial and ethnic hatred.
“Amnesty International Australia calls on Messers Morrison and Shorten to not only condemn this behaviour but to ensure there is no place for it in Australia’s Parliament.”