Fraser Anning and United Patriots Front leader Blair Cottrell at the event.Credit:AFR
Mr Morrison used Twitter to describe the event as “ugly racial protests” and added that “intolerance does not make Australia stronger”.
Mr Shorten tweeted a general statement lamenting the fact it had become “unfortunately common for some to seek out attention by picking on minorities”.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young and independent MP Kerryn Phelps were among the other politicians to speak out.
No government figure ruled out dealing with Senator Anning in future to pass legislation through the Senate. Ms Plibersek noted that Senator Anning has voted about 90 per cent of the time with the government and added that “I would hate to think that this government owed Fraser Anning anything for the votes that he is providing them”.
Senator Anning,who was elected as a One Nation senator but fell out with the party and was then expelled by Katter's Australian Party,has previously provoked controversy by using the phrase “final solution” in his maiden speech,though he later said he did not know it was associated with The Holocaust.
He accused “left-wing media” of misrepresenting the St Kilda rally,saying it was really about “African gang violence” not a “far-right” event.
Claiming he was there on parliamentary business,Senator Anning pointed to four recent violent incidents by offenders of African descent in Brisbane but in fact two were carried out by the same group of youths over two nights and one was a bungled carjacking in which the perpetrator failed to start the car.
Police stood between far-right and anti-racism protesters at the St Kilda rally.Credit:Darrian Traynor
Queensland police have recently raised concerns about those incidents but stressed it was a small number of offenders who did not constitute a gang.
Senator Anning added that his presence should “in no way be considered an endorsement by me of the views of other speakers or attendees”.
The rally was organised by Mr Cottrell and fellow far-right activist Neil Erikson,both of whom have been convicted of inciting serious contempt for Muslims.
Blair Cottrell at the St Kilda rally on Saturday.Credit:Darrian Traynor
Senator Anning however maintained he “didn’t see any people there who appeared to be radicals”.
“The only people who were doing Nazi salutes were the far-left extremists 100 metres away who came to try to disrupt a peaceful rally,” Senator Anning said.
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Reporters fromThe Age and theSydney Morning Herald saw people among the right-wing protesters giving the salute.The Age andThe Herald,as well as other media outlets,have published pictures showing this.
Jewish groups also condemned the event and Senator Anning.
Jeremy Jones of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council said the best response was to affirm the unity of Australians.
“The most effective response is always to make it clear it’s the Australian people versus the racists. That starts at the very top. Leaders have to say over and over again,'This is not the Australia we want to see. This is not the Australia that we are'.”
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Asked whether the government should deal with Senator Anning on legislation,he said:“I would think they would want to have as little to do with him as possible. As is the case with the opposition.”
Alex Ryvchin,co-chief executive officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry,said Senator Anning should “stand condemned for attending a rally organised by white supremacists who have openly professed neo-Nazi views”.
“These groups exploit popular concerns about migration,crime and security to advance division,hatred and violence in the name of racial purity. They don’t want to make Australia stronger or better. They want to rebuild our country in their own pathetic images,” he said.
The far-right and other extremists should be countered by national unity,he said.
“I hope the overt racism and Nazi glorification at this rally is condemned in a way that transcends political differences,that unites all decent Australians,and sends a message to neo-Nazis that it is they who are unwanted here.”