MEDIA RELEASE | 15 August 2024
Dutton offended by his own racism
National racial justice organisation, Democracy in Colour, has slammed the continued racist and Islamophobic push from opposition leader Dutton as a dangerous political tactic designed to gain votes rather than serve the interest of our communities.
Democracy in Colour Campaigner, Jarrod Tan says:
“It is clear that Mr Dutton is continuing his campaign of baseless racist fearmongering in the hopes that creating division will see him elected.
“Make no mistake, this is racism. When our political leaders engage in this kind of groundless rhetoric it puts people in our communities at risk. Comments like Mr Duttons result in the targeting of visibly identifiable Muslim people. When this tension continues to grow it creates a very real risk to all of us.
“We commend Zali Steggal and any politicians who are willing to call out racism for what it is. Too often our political leaders are more afraid of identifying racism than the instances of racism themselves. In the face of the continued escalation of racist political rhetoric we hope that more politicians will follow suit and end this alarming trend.
“If politicians don’t want to be accused of racism all they need to do is stop targeting specific groups of the community as a scapegoat for their own failures or a distraction from the events at hand and get on with the job of addressing the pressing issues that are impacting all of us.
“Politics in this country should be about the ideas and innovations that will help everyone in this country live the lives that we all deserve. We are a welcoming nation with communities that care and help each other. Concocting division to score political points is a lazy and transparent political tactic that serves no one. We all deserve better” he said.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jarrod Tan 0455 200 905
