25 April 2017

Yassmin Abdel-Magied courts controversy with Anzac Day Facebook post

Muslim activist and television host Yassmin Abdel-Magied has courted controversy with an Anzac Day Facebook post suggesting Australians should also remember the suffering on Manus Island and Nauru, and in Syria and Palestine.

The presenter of ABC's weekend program Australia Wide wrote: "LEST. WE. FORGET. (Manus, Nauru, Syria, Palestine …)"

She later removed the post and apologised after other Facebook users complained she had politicised the memorial day.

The 26-year-old Muslim youth activist removed the last portion of her original post, leaving the words, "Lest we forget".

"It was brought to my attention that my last post was disrespectful, and for that, I apologise unreservedly," Abdel-Magied wrote.

However, her retraction caused further outrage.

"It was brought to your attention??? Are you not able to work that out for yourself? Did you have to be told? Do you know anything about the history of the ANZACs? Do you even care? Because if you did, you would have known better than to make today about your agenda. [The Sydney Morning Herald] Read more