Liberal MP slammed over Nazi comparison

VICTORIAN Liberal MP Bernie Finn has been blasted for a Facebook post comparing Premier Daniel Andrews to Adolf Hitler, portraying him with a black toothbrush moustache in a Nazi-style uniform.

“The Despot tells us we’ll be free – then rushes into Parliament a bill giving himself total control over almost everything,” Finn wrote.

“Victorians’ freedom has not been under this sort of threat since World War II. It’s time for us all to fight again!”

Deputy Liberal leader David Southwick told The AJN on Tuesday, “Using imagery of Hitler or Nazi symbols at any time or by anyone is never acceptable. I remain committed to calling this out wherever it occurs.

“I raised these concerns with Bernie Finn who has since taken the post down. Bernie has always been a strong supporter of Israel and our Jewish community and despite being frustrated with the Andrews government’s new pandemic powers, this post was completely inappropriate.”

Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes commented, “It’s unacceptable to use images and references that promote hate and cause pain for so many – there’s no place for it in Victoria or in politics.

“While this government is in the process of banning the public display of Nazi symbols, Bernie Finn is playing on the fringes of antisemitism and right-wing conspiracy.”

Describing comparisons to Hitler as “indecent and repulsive”, Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich said, “I would urge Mr Finn to talk with a Holocaust survivor so he can understand how wrong he is.”

Federal Labor MP Josh Burns told The AJN, “Bernie Finn is a serial offender when it comes to ignorant and offensive comparisons that disrespect the memory of the Holocaust.

“The fact that he is still welcomed in the Victorian Liberal Party room says everything about the standards that party holds.”

In 2014, he threw his weight behind an anti-abortion Facebook page called “Silent Holocaust”, a move that angered Holocaust survivors in Melbourne.