Peter Dutton’s 'stupid' words incite death threats, says indigenous senator

Peter Dutton’s “stupid” words incited death threat, Senator Pat Dodson. The indigenous senator has slammed cabinet minister Peter Dutton’s remarks on Lebanese Muslims as stupid. He was giving an impassioned speech on watering down the race hate laws.

Dodson said that Dutton's comments have incited death threats for a Muslim Labor MP.

Dutton had earlier said in parliament that former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser may have made a mistake in allowing Lebanese Muslims into Australia. Upon request to elaborate during the question hour, he said, "The advice I have is that out of the last 33 people who have been charged with terrorist-related offences in this country, 22 of those people are from second and third generation Lebanese-Muslim background."

The senate had a debate on Nov. 18 on a bill related to the issue. Proposed by One Nation and Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjel, the bill sought to remove the portion that prohibits offensive acts because of racial hatred, writes AAP News.

Dodson gave a scathing speech opposing the change. He talked of his own fight for freedom. He was born before the 1967 referendum. Until that time, indigenous Australians were not counted in the country’s census.

If Australia can’t stand with the poor, the weak and the vulnerable, the nation is a poor replica of democracy, he said. He also insisted that Dutton’s comment on emigration is a mistake, claiming such "stupid" comments have incited death and violence threats against MP Anne Aly.

However, one female senator supported the changes. One Nation's Pauline Hanson said that there is a reverse racism in Australia. She also said that the nation is fed up with the immigrants with no intention of assimilating into the country.

Anti-immigration sentiment is a trend in rise all over the world, mostly in Australia, Europe and the US. A recent poll had also found out that almost half of Australia wanted to ban emigration.

Read: Poll says 49% of Australians want Muslim immigration ban