#illridewithyou: Queensland MP George Christensen criticises 'pathetic' social media campaign after Sydney siege
North Queensland MP George Christensen has stood by his comments on social media that the "pathetic left-wing" #illridewithyou campaign portrays Australians as racists who will attack Muslims.
The hashtag, which began trending worldwide on Twitter on Monday, was created to counter a potential anti-Muslim backlash over the Sydney siege.
Users tweeted messages declaring they would ride with anyone who was scared to take public transport because they were wearing religious dress.
But Mr Christensen, the federal Liberal MP for Dawson, which covers Mackay to Townsville, said he thought it created a false set of victims and took the focus away from the two slain hostages, Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson.
On Twitter he called it a "pathetic left-wing black arm band brigade campaign" that casts "Aussies as racists who will endanger Muslims".
He elaborated further on his public Facebook page.
"So Twitter has erupted with a typical politically correct, left wing response to the Sydney siege with these hashtag campaigns #weridetogether & #illridewithyou going viral," he wrote.
"These campaigns falsely portray Aussies as thugs who terrorise Muslims and, in doing so, create victims where there are none.
"How about we just focus on the real victims of the Sydney siege (who, in my view, are more heroic that the left-wing twitter clicktivist keyboard warrior army combined): Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson."
Mr Christensen's original post was met with outrage, with at least one federal Queensland MP using Twitter to distance himself from the comments.
Mr Christensen later told the ABC he stood by the comments and believed the campaign was attacking Australians.
"It's saying people of the Muslim faith on public transport are not safe because there's going to be Australians out there who are going to attack them," he said.
"And I mean my goodness, it's insulting I think for most Australians."
He also took offence to the fact that it was started late Monday night while the siege was still underway.
"This Twitter campaign started while the hostages were still at gun point, and that's what I find sickening about the whole thing," he said.
"I mean, really it was a diversion of attention from where the focus should have been, for most people.
"And I think there's a lot of people out there who for political reasons don't want to discuss the hard issue of radical Islam in Australia."
Ewen Jones, the federal Liberal MP for Herbert, which neighbours Dawson, distanced himself from Mr Christensen's comments, tweeting that they were "completely insensitive and ignorant of the motive".
