Peter Dutton was stunned on Tuesday afternoon after being asked a question by an ABC reporter during a press conference.
‘What determines the fact that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization?’ the ABC reporter asked.
Puzzled, Mr Dutton sought clarification as to which media organization the reporter represented.
“So, just to be clear, what is the ABC’s question?” Mr. Dutton asked.
After a brief back and forth conversation, the reporter asked, “Can you explain what defines something as a terrorist organization.”
Dutton fired back, accusing the ABC of being ‘in bigger trouble than he thought’.
“I had previously assumed that the ABC supported the government’s laws,” he explained.
‘The government has passed legislation, supported by both parties, but not by the ABC, it appears, regarding the designation or designation of a terrorist organisation.
Peter Dutton was stunned on Tuesday afternoon after being asked a question by an ABC reporter during a press conference.
“Hezbollah is a designated terrorist organization under Australian law.
“If the ABC doesn’t support that, they need to be very clear about that because I think that’s quite an anomaly. But you asked me why our country put Hezbollah on the list.
“They are a terrorist organisation, they are organizing terrorist attacks, and if that is not clear to the ABC then I think the ABC is in bigger trouble than I originally thought.”
Dutton’s comments come as Australians are being warned against importing conflict from the Middle East, with police investigations underway after fiery protests reignited community tensions sparked by Israel’s bombing of Lebanon.
Thousands marched this weekend to protest Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza and bombing of Lebanon, but some have been condemned for carrying the Hezbollah flag and photos of the slain leader.
Jewish Australians have called for the use of the said terror group’s iconography and photographs glorifying Hassan Nasrallah.
Alex Ryvchin, co-leader of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said it was “sickening to see fellow Australians in our streets mourning the death of this terrorist leader.”
The protests went beyond concerns about the loss of life and the future of Lebanon and evolved into “active, open, specific support for Hezbollah” that police had to take action against, Ryvchin said on Monday.
The Islamic Council of Victoria blamed a small number of people for the Hezbollah flags and said the community’s focus was on the escalation of violence in Gaza and Lebanon.
“It has been made clear that Hezbollah flags are not welcome and should not be carried,” the group’s chairman Adel Salman said.
However, the fixation on flags served as a “convenient distraction” from the violence in the Middle East, said Nasser Mashni, president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network.
“It is a national shame that condemning a flag has become easier than confronting the brutal reality of a rogue state intent on exterminating an entire population.”
Political leaders have also expressed concern that protests are fanning the flames of social conflict.
“We don’t want people bringing radical ideologies and conflicts here, our multiculturalism and social cohesion cannot be taken for granted,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday ahead of a cabinet meeting in Canberra.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke warned that visa holders and applicants who wanted to “foster discord in Australia” could have their visas refused or revoked.