Anti-Muslim remarks ‘only helping the terrorists': Malcolm Turnbull leads condemnation of Fraser Anning

Excerpt:

Australia’s political leaders have united to heap condemnation on a “dangerous” speech by Senator Fraser Anning that a shocked Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull warned was “only helping the terrorists”.

The call by Senator Anning, from Katter’s Australian Party, for a ban on Muslim immigration and a return to a discriminatory immigration regime akin to the White Australia Policy dominated the political debate and sparked outrage across the spectrum, from the Greens to One Nation.

In a potential turning point in the debate over race-baiting in Australian politics, Mr Turnbull called the speech “racism” and “stupidity”, and stressed that targeting Muslims in that way was dangerous.

“Let’s be quite clear - those who seek to demonise all Muslims on the basis of the crimes of a tiny minority are helping the terrorists,” he said.

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