Defaced photo of Daniel Andrews slammed
'Using these evil symbols to attack our elected representatives is an insult to the memory of victims murdered at the hands of the Nazis'.
MPs on both sides of politics have joined the Anti-Defamation Commission in condemning the defacing of a photograph of Premier Daniel Andrews with an Adolf Hitler moustache and a swastika on his forehead.
The defaced photo was stuck to a roadside sign in Highett, and anti-mask messages were found affixed to a nearby bus stop and postal box.
The mask messages proclaimed, “Masks don’t work. They are for slaves. You are not a slave. Take it off. Resist.”
Local Liberal MP for Sandringham, Brad Rowswell, said, “Highett is a proudly inclusive and welcoming community and local residents will be shocked and deeply saddened by this disgraceful attack.
“The use of Nazi symbolism in this manner is in no way a reflection on our community and I look forward to working with local police and residents to stamp out this unacceptable behaviour.”
Shadow police minister and Liberal MP for Caulfield David Southwick added, “This cowardly attack is entirely unacceptable and using Nazi imagery as a tool for making a political point is simply disgraceful.
“This incident follows similar cases in Beulah and Kyabram and again highlights the need for a clear ban on the public display of the Nazi swastika.”
Hailing the Premier as “a true friend of the Jewish community and proudly so”, the Federal Labor MP for Macnamara Josh Burns, a former adviser to Andrews, reflected, “To see a swastika anywhere in Australia in 2020 is shameful and distressing to all Jewish Australians and indeed, to all Australians who understand the horrors of Nazism and fascism.”
Echoing the sentiment, Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich stated, “Using these evil symbols to attack our elected representatives is an insult to the memory of victims murdered at the hands of the Nazis and to those brave Australian soldiers who sacrificed their lives to defeat Hitler’s Third Reich. It is also a kick in the guts of every Holocaust survivor.”
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