During a press conference on immigration Thursday, veteran Australian lawmaker Bob Catter made headlines by threatening reporters. He gestured aggressively and seemed to target a particular journalist while referencing his Lebanese heritage.
Catter, who founded Catter’s Australian Party, is known for advocating for rural farmers. He conducted press conferences where he also proposed organizing a march across Australia.
At an event outside Queensland’s Parliament in Brisbane, a journalist mentioned Catter’s Lebanese background, prompting a heated reaction from him. Catter interrupted, expressing his irritation and recounted a moment when he reacted physically during a previous encounter.
“My family has been here for 140 years,” he emphasized, as tensions rose.
He claimed he was “suppressing himself today” by not resorting to violence against the reporter. Catter later labeled the journalist as “racist” while advancing toward him with a raised fist, according to footage from the event.
In a statement following the incident, the targeted journalist, Josh Babas of Channel Nine, remarked that in his nearly 20 years of journalism, he had never faced such an aggressive response from an elected official.
Fiona Deer, director of the parent company’s News and Current Affairs, condemned Catter’s behavior as unacceptable and described his accusations as “basically offensive,” urging him to apologize.
Catter’s office didn’t provide any comments when approached for a response.
The reporter mentioned, “I think it’s very uncomfortable to threaten journalists,” after declining to answer further questions at the press conference.
Robbie Qatar, Catter’s son and a state legislator, was present and noted, “We took the points.” Catter, at 80 years old, holds the title of Australia’s longest-serving federal lawmaker, known for his eccentric views. He previously gained notoriety in 2017 for a bizarre statement about discussing same-sex marriage being interrupted by crocodiles in North Queensland.
