Greens leader condemned for linking Manchester terror attack to Gaza

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned Greens leader Larissa Waters for linking the Yom Kippur attack outside a Manchester synagogue to the war in Gaza, describing her comments as “not worthy of a senator”.

Speaking on the ABC’s Insiders, Waters said her heart “goes out to the families” of the victims murdered in the attack, before arguing Australia needed to impose sanctions on the Israeli government.

“No violence anywhere is acceptable and this is exactly why we need a resolution that is based on self-determination and why Australia should have, two years ago, imposed serious sanctions on the Israeli government. It is utterly appalling and yet we have been selling weapons to that conflict,” she said.

When pressed about antisemitism, Waters said: “Of course, we have condemned that and, as I said, our hearts go out to those families. Violence on any basis is not acceptable and we need to have social cohesion and part of that is Australia doing what’s necessary to stand up for humanitarian justice and that’s why we need those sanctions and that’s why we’ve got to stop selling weapons components that are dropping bombs on 12-year-olds.”

The Greens leader added that “the reason why tensions are so inflamed is that we’ve seen a genocide for two years that our government has refused to condemn.”

Albanese said he was “stunned” by the interview.

“I thought that Senator Waters’ comments were undignified, were not worthy of a senator,” he told reporters.

“When people lose their lives in a terrorist attack, the first response should be compassion and condemnation, not political point-scoring.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Peter Wertheim said it was a “classic diversion” from the Greens leader.

“After a perfunctory expression of sympathy for the victims, she quickly changed the subject to condemning Israel. Never mind that the perpetrator’s motives remain unknown, or that the alleged political motives of those who murder innocent worshippers should never be indulged.

“Waters unwittingly revealed the fundamental flaw in the Greens’ entire worldview, especially when it comes to Israel.”

Labor MP Josh Burns described Waters’ comments as “deplorable”, while Coalition Senator James Paterson called her remarks “completely unhinged”.