Queensland Senator Fraser Anning has claimed that it is New Zealand’s policy towards refugees that led to the deadly Christchurch massacre, which, he claims, highlighted the “growing fear over an increasing Muslim presence” in Australian and New Zealand communities.
“The real cause of the bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration program, which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place”, Anning said in a statement for media on Friday.
At the same, he underscored that he is “utterly opposed to any form of violence within our community” and that he “totally” condemns “the actions of the gunman”.
Although evidence of Anning sharing that statement has been removed from his social media accounts, he then wrote on his Twitter page, “Does anyone still dispute the link between Muslim immigration and violence?”
Many Twitter users immediately condemned Anning’s remarks, with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison slamming them as “disgusting”.
Others did not mince words when using stern language regarding Anning and demanding that he should resign. Some described him as a “monster” and wondered “how he sleeps at night” after his comments on the Christchurch bloodbath.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the mass shooting as a terrorist attack and one of New Zealand's “darkest days”. Police confirmed that the suspect is in his late twenties and had been charged with murder and would appear in court on Saturday morning.