Australian Senator Bills Taxpayers to Attend 'Racist' Rally

The Queensland Senator Fraser Anning recently attended a 'racist' rally organized by far-right extremists in Melbourne and will charge taxpayers for the costs of his air travel, according to the Guardian.

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The objective of the rally was to protest against alleged ‘African violence’ in Australia, according to Senator Anning.

“It’s a very poor use of taxpayer’s money. I think the vast majority of Australians would be disgusted to think that their taxes are paying for an Australian Senator to attend an event that seeks to divide not to unite the country,” said Acting Opposition leader Tanya Plibersek.

At the rally, Mr. Anning was recorded in videos in which he appeared next to controversial figures such as Blair Cottrell and Neil Erikson, both convicted criminals and far-right activists.

“This rally is Australian people showing their disgust with the Australian government for allowing garbage like these Sudanese things coming into our country and...attacking us in our own country,” said the Senator referring to his firm commitment to the ideas held by the event attendees.

The Nazi salutes were clearly being staged by far-right conservatives, according to various reports.

However, Mr. Anning chose to blame what he called “far left extremists” for the racist performance, “despite pictures clearly showing otherwise,” according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The senator’s actions prompted Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack to ask him to consider his position in Parliament, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Nazi salutes are abhorrent and repugnant and have no place in Australian Society.

“This type of extremism and the politics of hate should not be tolerated in modern society and such radicalism should be called out for what it is,” said McCormack.

The Senator will bill taxpayers US$2800 for his flights and ground transportation to the racist rally, a spokesman for Anning confirmed.

Australia’s South Sudanese community settled in the country as refugees fleeing from violence in their home country. The largest influx of migrants from the African country took place between 2003 and 2006. Currently, the refugee community in Australia consists of nearly 20,000 people.

The process of resettlement and adjustment has been aggravated by sensationalist and xenophobic media coverage which blatantly associated the African migrants, particularly youth, with violence and criminality further marginalizing them from society.

Such coverage chooses to conduct racial profiling to exemplify crimes as those committed by the Sudanese gang “Apex” which then leads to the persecution of refugees.

“People already working would get asked funny questions, ‘are you a member of the Apex gang?’ and Children as young as five or six were being asked this in school - not to mention those already struggling to find employment,” said Mr. Monoah, a Sudanese refugee who now works as a lawyer in Melbourne.