Politics

Katter’s Australian Party dumps Senator Fraser Anning over ‘racist’ views

Oct 25, 2018

Katter said the party was "terminating" its endorsement of Senator Anning (pictured right). Source: Facebook/Bob Katter and YouTube/Malcolm Farnsworth.

Senator Fraser Anning has been given the boot by Katter’s Australian Party after he reportedly refused to stop using language that singled out non-Europeans.

Bob Katter announced the “termination of his endorsement by the KAP” at a press conference on Thursday afternoon, citing Senator Anning’s views on non-European migration as the cause for his dismissal, stating the decision was “best for him and the party”.

Reading out a statement penned by the party president, Katter said: “Ninety nine per cent of what Senator Anning has been saying is solid gold, however there is one per cent of what he’s saying that is totally unacceptable.

“I, as party president, made it perfectly clear that there was to be no more use of words like Europeans and non-Europeans. Clearly that is racist, clearly our policies are anti-racist.

“This position was made perfectly clear again following a bill that Senator Anning had drafted. He was unequivocally informed when the party learned of this bill that there would be extreme hostility if the bill went forward using racial identification terminology. And that the party would not accept future use of such language or such policies.”

“Despite of the most severe and clear warnings Senator Anning has continued down this pathway and consequently we announce the termination of his endorsement by the KAP,” he continued.

“Clearly Fraser wants the freedom to pursue his crusade and we think it is best for he and the party to give him this freedom.”

Anning previously came under fire in August after he delivered his maiden speech in parliament, during which he called for a ban on Muslim migration and a return to a “European Christian” immigration system. He also used the term “the final solution”, a phrase used in Nazi Germany to describe the mass killing of Jewish people.

“I believe that immigration to our country should be a privilege, not an obligation,” he told the Upper House. “We as a nation are entitled to insist that those who are allowed to come here predominantly reflect the historic European-Christian composition of Australian society. Those who come here need to assimilate and integrate.”

He also called for a plebiscite to allow Australians to decide whether they want non-English speaking immigrants from the third-world and whether they want Muslims to enter the country. Anning also said Australia should return to the predominately European immigration policy of the pre-Whitlam consensus. A White Australia policy restricted non-European immigration in Australia from 1901 to the late ‘60s.

At the time Bob Katter defended Anning’s comments, saying: “It was a magnificent speech, solid gold. 90 per cent of Australia have been waiting for someone to say it and believe it.”