Australia must stand with France: Abbott

Prime Minister Tony Abbott says leaders of moderate Islamic nations must continue to speak out against terrorism following attacks in Paris.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott

PM Tony Abbott has phoned President Francois Hollande to express Australia's solidarity with France. (AAP)

Australians need to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of France, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says.

His comments came after he phoned President Francois Hollande to express Australia's solidarity in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

Mr Abbott says leaders of moderate Islamic nations must continue to denounce the actions of terrorists.

"The king of Saudi has denounced Daesh in the strongest possible terms, the king of Jordan, the rulers of the UAE, the president of Egypt has been a positive bulwark against the Muslim Brotherhood and other fundamentalist groups, the religious council in Cairo has issued a fatwa against Daesh or ISIL," he said.

"This is a worldwide phenomenon and that is why it's important for the people of Australia to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of France at this time."

The media must not be cowed, he said.

"It would be a travesty if we were robust in our criticism of everything except that which might do us harm.

"We have to be prepared to speak up for our beliefs, we have to be prepared to call things as we see them and of course from time to time people will be upset, offended, insulted, humiliated."

The recent acts of terrorism including the deadly attacks and sieges in Paris must not change the Australian way of life, he said.

"If we ever allow ourselves to change our way of life, to adjust the welcome we give to people who are here to join our team, well the terrorists have had a victory," he told Fairfax radio.

"Australians should live their normal lives, because what terrorism aims to do is to scare us from being ourselves."


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2 min read

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Source: AAP



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