Sydney protest not face of Islam: Abbott

16 Sep 2012, 2:43 pm   -   Source: AAP
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says violent scenes in Sydney are not representative of Islam. (AAP)

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says violent scenes in Sydney are not representative of Islam. (AAP)

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says the violent scenes on Sydney streets on Saturday were not representative of Islam.

The ugliness of a Sydney protest by Muslims angry at an anti-Islam film does not fairly reflect the Islamic people of Australia, federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says.

Clashes between protesters and police in Sydney's CBD on Saturday left six officers and 17 others injured.

Mr Abbott said newcomers to Australia were not expected to surrender their heritage but were expected to surrender their hatreds.

"I think that's the message that has got to go from every Australian to those people on the streets of Sydney yesterday," he told reporters in Sydney.

"I don't believe we saw an acceptable face of Islam yesterday."

Every Australian looking at photos, including one of young children with a placard calling for people to be beheaded for criticising the prophet Mohammed, would be appalled, Mr Abbott said.

"I suspect that many of the protesters looking at the news last night and looking at themselves in the paper this morning would be starting to feel pangs of conscience.

"I do not believe that the people on the streets of Sydney yesterday were truly representative of Islam.

"I don't believe that the ugliness we saw on the streets of Sydney fairly reflects the Islamic people of our country."

The organisers of Saturday's protest should be held accountable and those who broke the law prosecuted, Mr Abbott said.

The vast majority of Australia's Muslims were law-abiding citizens who wanted to be "first-class members" of society, he said.

Mr Abbott also repeated his call for British Muslim leader Taji Mustafa's visa to be revoked.

Mr Mustafa was scheduled to speak at the Hizb ut-Tahrir's annual conference at Bankstown in southwest Sydney on Sunday.

The opposition leader said the group had regularly been on the record calling for the destruction of Israel and some of its leaders had called for violence against Australian troops in Afghanistan.

"I don't think we need the preachers of hate in this country," Mr Abbott said.

Earlier Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Australia had tight laws on people who urge violence, and very tight laws on people who incite terrorism, but didn't say she would act against Mr Mustafa.

"The organisation that he has come to visit is not a proscribed terrorist organisation, not here in Australia, not here in the United States, not in the United Kingdom, and was not under the Howard government," she told reporters in Brisbane.

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube