Barnaby Joyce has responded strongly to Melbourne’s far-right protesters after Leigh Sales asked the acting PM if he would “show leadership”.
Acting Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has denounced the anti-vax and far-right extremists at this week’s protests at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance.
7:30 host Leigh Sales came out strong, wanting to know if Mr Joyce would stand up and denounce the far right protesters.
“You are one of the most prominent right wing politicians in the country. Are you prepared to show leadership and call out and condemn the violent nationalists, racists, anti-vaxxers, and far right extremists who have been part of the protests this week,” Sales asked in her first question.
“Absolutely,” Mr Joyce responded.
“It’s not about being left or right, it’s about doing the proper thing. This is sacred ground.
“To have people lounging around there, no matter what they think their issue is, swearing, littering, drinking. This is (a memorial) to represent tens of thousands of Australians,” he said.
“I understand their frustrations, we’ve all got those frustrations, we want this over. The best way to get back to a normal life as quickly as possible is get vaccinated as quickly as possible.”
Mr Joyce said it made no sense for a group of anti-vaxxers to be gathering together during a pandemic.
“We have to be able to have as small a group as possible who need the intensive care unit beds that will obviously be filled by people who have not been vaccinated,” he said.
“And people protesting to make it worse is not a logical thing.”
More than 200 protesters were arrested following a stand-off with police at the Melbourne war memorial
Meanwhile, a man who attended the protest is now in hospital with Covid, prompting authorities to strongly urge those who were at the Shrine of Remembrance to get tested immediately.
In a statement, a Department of Health spokesperson said: “We are urging protesters to get tested should they experience Covid-like symptoms, no matter how mild.”
The protests are part of an anti-vaccination movement that has taken to the streets for three straight days.
They are protesting mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for the construction industry.
Mr Joyce said he had serious concerns about how regional hospitals would cope once restrictions start to lift and Covid becomes more widespread.
“Get vaccinated. If not for yourself … for the person sitting next to you,” he said.
Mr Joyce also labelled his Nationals colleague George Christensen as “wrong” for calling police “thugs” and saying they should be arrested for using “excessive force” against protesters.
However he disagreed with Leigh Sales that Mr Christensen was “cheering on" the protesters.
“Obviously, any sense of support for people who are breaking the law, who are assaulting police officers, who are desecrating war memorials is something that’s abhorrent to me,” Mr Joyce said. “That is my view and George knows my view.
“One of the things we love about this nation is you have the freedom to say what you like, even if what you say is wrong,” he said.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMikQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC92aWN0b3JpYS9iYXJuYWJ5LWpveWNlLXNsYW1zLXNoaW5lLW9mLXJlbWVtYnJhbmNlLWFudGl2YXgtcHJvdGVzdGVycy9uZXdzLXN0b3J5Lzk2MmFlMWQyOTMwYjA4ZDNjYmM5NGMwNDIxOWEwNjgx0gGVAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5ld3MuY29tLmF1L25hdGlvbmFsL3ZpY3RvcmlhL2Jhcm5hYnktam95Y2Utc2xhbXMtc2hpbmUtb2YtcmVtZW1icmFuY2UtYW50aXZheC1wcm90ZXN0ZXJzL25ld3Mtc3RvcnkvOTYyYWUxZDI5MzBiMDhkM2NiYzk0YzA0MjE5YTA2ODE_YW1w?oc=5
2021-09-23 14:48:45Z
52781893824564
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Leigh Sales’ tough first Melb question - NEWS.com.au"
Post a Comment