 The Liberal MP charged with selling the Howard Government's message on multiculturalism has been embarrassed by his own branch members distributing the cartoon of Mohammed that sparked deadly protests worldwide.
| What's to be embarrassed about? They're not Muslims, and Muslims aren't in charge of them. |
Andrew Robb, the federal member for the Victorian seat of Goldstein and recently appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, confirmed yesterday that he demanded action after his Brighton party branch distributed the offending images. The 200-strong Brighton branch published the offending cartoons in an email newsletter just days before violent protests over the images in Nigeria in which 16 people were killed.
| The contents of Australian emails had nothing to do with the Nigerian riots. Even if the Nigerians had been aware of the emails and rioted over them, the emails still wouldn't have been any of their damned business. |
Mr Robb, who coincidentally spent yesterday in talks with Muslim leaders in Canberra, told The Australian that email distribution of the Mohammed cartoons was "offensive".
| To whom? To the recipients? Or to the people they weren't directed to? |
In a letter to Victorian Liberal Party state director Julian Sheezel, Mr Robb, a former federal Liberal Party director, demanded "appropriate action" be taken over the caricatures of the prophet Mohammed.
| Yeah. Have a beer and forget about them. |
"It's provocative and offensive. I feel strongly that the attachment runs counter to the advice of the Prime Minister that the right to freedom of speech is an essential right, but one which must be exercised responsibly and sensitively," he wrote.
| If it's free, you can exercise it any way you damned well please. If you can't, it's not free. |
However, Mr Robb defended the "naive" branch member who emailed the cartoon to other party members. "If someone does try to tar-and-feather the young bloke, I will defend him," he said. "He's upset and remorseful."
| At the risk of repeating myself, have a beer and forget about it. |
Mr Sheezel said he had counselled the Brighton branch president and secretary to prevent further circulation of the "offensive material". |