Nationals Member for Cowper Luke Hartsuyker says Anzac Day is not an occasion for political grandstanding and has criticised ABC presenter and Islamic activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied for her “disgraceful social media comments”.
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Ms Abdel-Magied courted controversy on Tuesday after publishing a Facebook post saying: “LEST. WE. FORGET. (Manus, Nauru, Syria, Palestine …)".
She later deleted the latter part of the post referencing Manus, Nauru, Syria and Palestine, but the post has stirred a wave of online vitriol.
“Anzac Day is about commemorating the service and sacrifice of generations of Australian servicemen and women,” Mr Hartsuyker said.
“It is Australia’s most solemn day of remembrance. More than 100,000 Australians have given their lives defending our way of life. Many more have suffered physical and mental scars as a result of their service on our behalf.
“Anzac Day is not about grandstanding. It is not about politics. It is not about personal opinions or religious arguments.
“On Anzac Day we stand side by side united as Australians: Left and right, white and black, male and female, young and old, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim or atheist.
“Ms Abdel-Magried displayed terrible judgment with her post on social media. She made the issue worse with her response, saying ‘it was brought to my attention that my last post was disrespectful’.”
“If she needs to be told that her comments were unacceptable, she clearly has no understanding of Australian values and the ABC should reconsider her position on the taxpayer-funded network. Quite frankly, I think a lot of Australians are completely disgusted that their hard-earned tax dollars are used to pay her income, particularly as this is not her first outlandish statement.
“It’s worth remembering that Ms Abdel-Magried only enjoys the freedoms to air her ridiculous opinions because of the sacrifices of Australia’s Diggers – the very people she sought to relegate to the background with her ill-advised comments.”
Her views are her own: ABC statement
In a statement, the ABC said: “Ms Abdel-Magied acknowledged that the timing and nature of the post was disrespectful. Her decision to delete it and apologise was appropriate.
“Ms Abdel-Magied is a part-time presenter on the ABC program Australia Wide, introducing stories done by ABC reporters from around the country.
“When presenting for the ABC she works in accordance with ABC editorial and other policies.
“Ms Abdel-Magied is also engaged in a range of other activities and work that is not related to the ABC.
“Her views and opinions in that capacity are her own and do not represent those of the ABC."
