More than one million people have signed a petition demanding controversial Australian Senator Fraser Anning be removed from parliament.
The petition follows outrage throughout Australia and the world after the independent Queensland senator blamed Islamic immigration for Friday’s Christchurch mosque shooting shortly after the attack had taken place.
The former One Nation party member has been condemned as a ‘disgrace’ since the statement, with the petition requesting he be pushed to resign from his position and if appropriate ‘be investigated for supporting right-wing terrorism.
Sydney doctor Kate Ahmad lodged the petition with change.org and it quickly became the largest in Australian history.
As of Monday morning, more than 1.1million people have signed the petition.
Dr Ahmad told the Sydney Morning Herald she knows there is not currently a legal process to expel MP’s from Parliament unless they are criminals or dual citizens, but hoped to draw attention to the public’s response to his comments.
‘It’s to make clear that this kind of hate speech won’t be accepted by the community or the country as a whole, that there are repercussions for this behaviour,’ she said.
‘Politics has degenerated to the point where extreme views have become mainstream and have a veneer of legitimacy. It’s a problem we have an elected member of parliament like this and he must take responsibility for his actions.’
Greens leader Richard Di Natale said his party will consider pushing for amendments to the Privileges act in order to expel Senator Anning from parliament.
He said his party are ‘exploring all options’ after his statement, but the major parties have rejected changing laws in favour of allowing voters to have their say at the next federal election.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Senator Anning should face the ‘full force of the law’ after he reacted violently to a teenage boy who cracked an egg on the back of his head.
NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Senator Anning’s comments were a ‘disgrace’.
Senator Anning was roundly condemned after he used the phrase ‘final solution’ in his maiden speech to parliament – a reference to the Holocaust.
He also attended a far-right rally in Melbourne where participants made Nazi salutes.
A 17-year-old protester broke an egg on the senator’s head during a press conference on Saturday.
A short scuffle ensued and the schoolboy, who was later identified as Will Connolly, was grabbed around the neck, tackled to the ground and restrained by up to five men.
He has been widely praised after he filmed himself egging Senator Anning, and a GoFundMe page established to cover his legal fees has already reached more than $39,000.
Muslim Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi said Senator Anning has been making disgraceful comments for some time.
‘I don’t want to spend a second talking about Senator Fraser Anning,’ she told ABC radio.
‘I think the people will have their say and boot him out as the next election.’
Senator Anning attended a gun show in Ipswich on Sunday, two days after 50 people were killed in the horrific Christchurch attack.
Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old man from Grafton in NSW, has been charged with murder over the mass shooting.
Senator Anning will hold a press conference in Brisbane on Monday.
AND THIS EFFECTS ME…… HOW????/