Australia’s Senate will rebuke far-right politician Fraser Anning, who blamed Muslims for violence after the New Zealand terror attack that killed 50 worshippers at two mosques.
The text of a bipartisan motion, led by Senate leader Mathias Cormann and Senate opposition leader Penny Wong, said Anning seeks “to attribute blame to victims of a horrific crime and to vilify people on the basis of religion, which do not reflect the opinions of the Australian Senate or the Australian people.”
The motion will move when the Senate returns in April. The controversial senator has been under fire since his comments on Friday that came just hours after the massacre, including calling Islam “the religious equivalent of fascism.” He was egged by a teenager while speaking to reporters on Saturday.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is seeking to tighten gun legislation and will speak to Facebook Inc. after the mosque attack was live-streamed on the platform. Facebook on Sunday said it had removed 1.5 million videos globally in the first 24 hours, citing New Zealand spokeswoman Mia Garlick.
