Grassroots activist group GetUp has filed a petition for the prime minister to denounce Liberal Senator Eric Abetz for asking three Chinese Australians whether they were willing to condemn the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The petition has allegedly garnered over 25,000 signatures and was delivered to Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s official residence Kirribilli House last week on behalf of GetUp, Colour Code, the Asian Australian Alliance, and Per Capita.
The latter two organisations also sent a joint letter to Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge calling for Senator Abetz to apologise for his questions.
The Australian Values Alliance, a pro-democracy group comprised of Chinese Australians (many who have suffered at the hands of the CCP) has hit back, sending an open letter and petition to the prime minister, criticising the campaign against Abetz as “unfounded” and exploiting the “racism blame card.”
Dr. Feng Chongyi and Dr. Paul Monk at a panel discussion hosted by the Australian Values Alliance on China's influence in Australia, in City Tattersalls Club in Sydney, Australia on Dec. 10, 2018. NTD/Screenshot
“We remain deeply concerned and hope that the Australian Government be alerted about the danger when racism is being weaponised in the political arena,” the letter stated.
“This is a common tactic of the CCP, which we have observed in recent years since the Australian Government has taken important steps to protect our freedoms,” it continued.
GetUp’s Senior Campaigner Tessa Pang criticised senior Liberal Party members, including the prime minister, for not speaking out against Senator Abetz claiming it “paints a chilling picture of a Government content to foster prejudice against people based on the colour of their skin.”
GetUp and Asian Australian Alliance activists at Kirribilli House on Nov. 12, 2020 Supplied
GetUp co-founder Amanda Tattersall is also credited with importing Saul Alinsky-style “community organising” into Australia.
Alinsky, who authored Rules for Radicals, gained notoriety for teaching protestors to exploit any means possible to attain their goals.
In 1964, Alinsky threatened to organise 2,500 activists to occupy the bathrooms of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, bringing the airport’s operations to a halt. The threat forced the authorities into negotiations.
Despite not identifying as a Marxist, Alinsky still advocated strongly for class warfare.
How It All Started?
Per Capita’s Osmond Chiu was one of three Chinese Australians, along with Yun Jiang and Wesa Chau, who fronted a Senate committee in October to discuss issues surrounding Australia’s multicultural communities.
They spoke to the inquiry about systemic racism, and of extensive intimidation against the Chinese diaspora by the CCP.
Senator Abetz asked the three individuals whether they were willing to condemn the CCP.
The three offered broad statements of support for human rights and disagreed with the Chinese regime’s human rights abuses. But all refrained from directly condemning the CCP itself.
Following the hearing, the three mischaracterised Senator Abetz’s question as a “loyalty test” in subsequent op-eds and commentary, which also became the prevailing narrative promoted by certain media outlets in Australia.
Chiu claimed in an op-ed published in the Sydney Morning Herald, that due to his ethnicity, the senator believed there was a “likelihood of divided allegiances.”
Chiu was a former secretary of the Australian Fabians Society, which has produced Labor politicians Bill Shorten, Chris Bowen, and Tanya Plibersek (who signed the open letter sent to the Acting Immigration Minister).
Bill Shorten (C), raises his hands with Tanya Plibersek (L) and Chris Bowen (R) at an election event in Sydney on June 19, 2016. William West/AFP via Getty Images
The Fabian Society, first started in 1884, is an organisation that advocates for a gradual transition to a socialist society. Using a strategy of “permeation” to infiltrate cornerstone groups in a society like welfare organisations, multicultural associations, churches, and political parties (both conservative and radical) Fabians then use their position to push for a Marxist-socialist agenda from within, according to The Epoch Times’ Specter of Communism.
“We put our proposals, one by one, as persuasively as possible, before all who would listen to them … This we called ‘permeation’ and it was an important discovery,” according to Sidney Webb (1859 – 1947), an early British Fabian who co-founded the London School of Economics.
Following outcry over the hearing, Senator Abetz responded saying: “At no point did I question the loyalty of anyone. I did not even mention the word ‘loyalty.’ Yet Mr Chiu’s twisted, and distorted narrative is blatantly false.”
“Unfortunately, some now have parroted this false narrative without checking the record,” he said in a statement.
Tasmanian Liberal Senator Eric Abetz Supplied
The Chinese ambassador in Canberra also joined the fray claiming Abetz’s comments had “the smack of Goebbel’s tricks,” commenting in reference to Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda czar.
Despite the false media narrative and outrage, the Chinese Australian community has stood by Abetz and criticised the three witnesses. One social media user named May, wrote on ABC’s Chinese-language Twitter feed:
“They should be ashamed of their actions! If you don’t want to offend the Communist Party, then don’t participate in politics! Playing race cards at every turn is disgusting,” she said.
Zoe Zhang wrote: “Whenever you ask me, I will answer firmly: Yes, I unconditionally condemn the dictatorship of the Chinese Communist Party, unless they abolish the dictatorship and move towards democracy, freedom and the rule of law.”
Daniel Y. Teng
Writer
Daniel Y. Teng is based in Brisbane, Australia. He focuses on national affairs including federal politics, COVID-19 response, and Australia-China relations. Got a tip? Contact him at [email protected].
