“Marching for Australia”. Bob Katter, poster-boy for anti-immigration, and weapons

While Bob Katter claims Gaza refugees are part of Hamas, the Queensland MP continues to position himself as one of Parliament’s most outspoken defenders of Israel. Stephanie Tran reports.

Bob Katter marched with thousands of protesters at the “March for Australia” rally in Brisbane on Sunday, one of many anti-immigration demonstrations held across the country.

Addressing the crowd, Katter criticized Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke for allowing Gaza refugees into Australia, describing the refugees as “part of Hamas”.

“I don’t want to shy away from saying that the forces of evil are abroad,” Katter said. “I must mention Tony Burke by name… because he is the leader of that house…. He brought 2,000 Gazans. 2,000 Gazans without any reference to the Australian people. Gazans are people who come from the same region and are part of Hamas. They murdered 3,000 people in New York. They murdered 1,200 people who crossed the border with Israel.”

They kill people all the time, and I must add that the people they murder are Christians.

The comments associate Palestinian civilians with Hamas and misrepresent the origins of the September 11 attacks carried out by Al Qaeda.

Palestinian refugees

According to SBSAs of December 2024, 1,732 Palestinian refugees have reached Australia, while more than 7,100 applications have been rejected. Asked last week about the number of applications from Palestinian refugees the government was processing, Burke said: National Press Club “there were about 600 to 700 people on our caseload”.

Katter repeated his call at the rally: “There is no immigration without assimilation”:

“Our party says there is no immigration without assimilation. Now ask this question, do you come from a country where there is democracy? No. Do you come from a country where there is the rule of law? No. Do you come from a country where there is Christianity?… No. Do you come from a country with industrial awards? No. Then why are you bringing them to this country?”

There is no immigration without assimilation. This means that there will be almost no migration.

Katter’s long history of Israel advocacy

Katter’s comments are the latest in a long history of vocal support for Israel and provocative statements about the Palestinians.

One in September report He described himself, with Guardian Australia, as “the most pro-Semitic person in parliament” and “the leader of the anti-Gaza mob”, adding: “There are many other people, but I’m probably the loudest.”

In August, Katter published a publication. expression He made a statement titled ‘Australia must stand with Israel’ in response to Anthony Albanese’s plan to recognize the state of Palestine at the United Nations. In a statement, he described the proposal as “dangerous” and “uncharacteristic of Australia”.

“Israel is surrounded by more than a million people from Muslim countries, many of whom are determined to destroy Israel and the Jewish people,” he said.

“We were told that Israel’s retaliation had gone too far. But you can’t start a fight and cry foul when the reaction comes.”

Previously, in February 2024, Katter was a parliamentary speech He questioned why Australia was accepting refugees from Gaza and accused the ALP of being led by “mosques in Sydney”.

“No Muslim country and no Arab country will accept them,” he said. “Why is Australia taking them? “This is a big question for the ALP to answer.”

“The mosques in Sydney control the ALP in Sydney, and the Sydney ALP controls the Australian ALP. …If you’re letting 850 people in from Gaza and no one else in the world is going to take them in, you have to ask the question: why are the ALP—and I’m here the ALP and not the government—taking these people?”

Katter in October 2023 alleged He said Australia’s aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was “wrongly used to support terrorists”.

Family ties to arms supplier

Katter’s political advocacy for Israel has drawn renewed attention to his family’s financial ties to the defense industry.

His son-in-law Robert Nioa is chairman of Queensland-based NIOA Group, Australia’s largest private arms supplier.

Since 2007, Nioa Group and its subsidiaries have received almost $2 billion in contracts from the government.

According to the Australian Electoral Commission, political donations to Katter’s party by the Nioa Family Trust and Katter’s daughter Elizabeth Nioa total more than $660,000; of which $500,000 comes from Elizabeth Nioa and $160,000 from Nioa Nominees Pty Ltd.

NIOAs to influence Activities in the defense sector have also spread into federal politics: former Coalition defense secretary Christopher Pyne sits on the company’s board, while former Labor senator and parliamentary secretary for defense David Feeney serves as a strategic adviser.

NIOA in 2023 acquired US-based Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, leading supplier Sale of sniper rifles to the Israel Defense Forces. One industry publication He highlighted Barrett’s long-standing relationship with the Israeli Special Forces, which grew after European manufacturers limited small arms exports to Israel due to political concerns, creating a preference for supplying a US-made weapon.

Multiple investigations It was concluded that Israeli snipers deliberately targeted children.

Foreign medical teams serving voluntarily in Gaza reported The treatment of so many children with gunshot wounds to the head or chest is clear evidence that Israeli soldiers are systematically targeting children, they say.

In September the Dutch newspaper Volkskrant published an article: report The 15 doctors described as children being treated with single, definitive gunshot wounds to the upper body, a sign they were deliberately targeted. Doctors included in the report detected 114 such cases during their duties.

A BBC World Service investigation The report, published in August, documented more than 160 children shot by Israeli forces. In 95 cases, children were shot in the head or chest. Doctors said the nature of the injuries left little doubt that they were deliberately targeted.

Katter was referred to the International Criminal Court

An application was made to the International Criminal Court (ICC) alleging that Katter provided “material support” to the Israel Defense Forces through his son-in-law’s company, Barrett Firearms Manufacturing.

Presentation seen by MWMclaims there is a “c”Credible evidence shows that Mr. Katter was complicit in genocide and war crimes by providing material support for the transfer of weapons to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), including sniper systems supplied through his son-in-law Robert Nioa’s company, Barrett Firearms Manufacturing. Katter’s legislative attacks on Palestine advocates indicate his intention to protect arms trade investigations. “When combined with medical evidence, this meets the ICC’s direct intent threshold for complicity.”

He also claims Katter ignored calls from voters and medical experts who presented evidence of Palestinian children injured by Barrett sniper systems. Instead, he allegedly used parliamentary speeches to defend Israel’s military operations.

The submission calls on the ICC to include Katter in the ongoing investigation into crimes committed by the Israeli military and to subpoena NIOA and Barrett’s financial records, as well as Israeli military deployment records for sniper units.

MWM Ask Katter detailed questions about his situation Political and family connections to the NIOA Group, ICC presentation, and public statements on Israel and Palestine. His office did not respond to a request for comment.

Community reaction and reports of abuse

Members of the Muslim community of Mareeba, in the Kennedy constituency in north Queensland Katter, said: MWM He said that they were trying to meet with the MP to discuss the situation they defined as the increase in racist hostility fueled by his rhetoric.

One doctor, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, said there had been “numerous attempts to contact his office to discuss the racist comments he made about Muslims.”

“I think his involvement and the fact that he was so aggressively outspoken against the Palestinians gave people the green light to harass us,” the doctor said.

Shadow War: Zionist doctors continue their relentless pursuit of Israeli “dissidents”

“When you talk to your family in Gaza and hear about the atrocities that are happening, and then you hear someone like Bob Katter yelling ‘they started this’ without any context, it’s really sad.”

“The Muslim community in Mareeba has been here for over a century. It must confront its own community and voice its ties and support for Israel.”