I wonder if churches would be less refugee friendly if there were more of these events.<\/p>\n
NEWS<\/a>: A far-right nationalist group that links itself to Pauline Hanson stormed a church service on Sunday dressed in mock Muslim attire and chanting anti-Islamic slogans, leaving some members of the congregation “deeply traumatised”.<\/p>\n The incident, on the NSW Central Coast, reflects the emboldened attitudes of anti-Islamic groups following the political rise of the One Nation leader, and has triggered calls for the new Parliament to retain the full strength of racial discrimination laws amid a new push for the repeal of section 18c.<\/p>\n About 10 Party for Freedom members on Sunday disrupted the morning sermon at the Gosford Anglican Church, which is widely known for its embrace of multiculturalism, and refugees and asylum-seekers.<\/p>\n Party for Freedom is an anti-Islam, anti-immigration party whose Facebook page features Senator Hanson as its profile picture.<\/p>\n The church is nationally renowned for a sign out the front that often bears messages critical of Australia’s hardline border protection policies, such as “Hell exists, and it’s on Nauru”.<\/p>\n Father Rod Bower said halfway through his sermon at around 9.30am, members of Party for Freedom, dressed in mock Muslim attire, burst into the church.<\/p>\n “Using a loud speaker starting to abuse me in particular for the work we do \u2026 they violated our sacred space,” Father Bower said.<\/p>\n “It was typical rhetoric from the extreme right, vilifying Muslims and multiculturalism as a whole.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I wonder if churches would be less refugee friendly if there were more of these events. NEWS: A far-right nationalist group that links itself to Pauline Hanson stormed a church service on Sunday dressed in mock Muslim attire and chanting … Continue reading