Casey Councillor Rosalie Crestani attacks Islam following Reclaim Australia rally
A COUNCILLOR from Melbourne’s southeast has launched a stunning tirade against Muslims, days after speaking at an anti-Islamic rally.
Cr Rosalie Crestani was an MC at the Reclaim Australia rally on Saturday as a member of the Rise Up Australia political party, which opposes multiculturalism.
Speaking with the Leader, Cr Crestani launched a tirade against Muslims, believing the “fundamental beliefs of Islam incite violence, oppression of women, hatred of the unbeliever, beheading, paedophila, female genital mutilation and segregation with the burqua.”
She also said “The Koran should have a disclaimer and Islam needs reforming.”
“I believe many Muslims are peace loving,” Cr Crestani said.
“Many (Muslims) do not want tyranny as undertaken by IS inspired Islamic jihadists.
“What I am asking is that all have a good hard look at those fundamental beliefs and admit that they play a role in these terrorist attacks and potential ones.”
The Reclaim Australia rally and No Room for Racism counter-rally clashed on July 18 with a number of people injured and pepper-sprayed. Neo-Nazis also attended the Reclaim rallies.
Cr Crestani said she had every right to attend the rally as “concerned Australian”, but did say she stated at the rally she was an elected official for the City of Casey.
Cr Crestani represents the Four Oaks ward, which covers Lysterfield South, Endeavour Hills, Narre Warren North, Narre Warren) and Harkaway. City of Casey statistics show 9.3 per cent of Endeavour Hills’ population, or 2280 people, is Muslim.
Reclaim Australia opposes halal certification and described Muslims as ‘terrorists, beheaders and bombers’.
“Halal certification is a disease in Australia; it is an Islamic tax that is forced upon us all,” Cr Crestani said.
“I go out of my way to purchase non-halal products.
“Sadly, I no longer buy Cadbury chocolate.
“Also Halal certified meat is in horrific defiance of my belief in worshipping the God, revealed through Jesus Christ.”
According to Halal Australia, fees incurred for halal certification go towards the cost of running its business, ‘including utilities, rent, inventory and supplies, and employee salaries, as well as income taxes paid to the Australian government.’
Spokeswoman for Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins Susan Crebbin said racial or religious-based attacks should not be tolerated from an elected representative.
“Cr Crestani needs to to behave in a way that reflects her leadership role and is in line with the expectations of Casey residents,” Ms Hutchins said.
“Whether this matter breaches Casey’s Code of Conduct remains an issue for the council to determine.”
Casey Multifaith Network president Jim Reiher called for calm in the wake of Cr Crestani’s inflamatory statements.
He said it was unwise for any elected official to associate themselves with an extremist group.
He said while he didn’t believe Cr Crestani or Doveton pastor and Rise Up Australia leader Daniel Nalliah were violent, others could use their views to justify violence.
Mr Reiher compared current day anti-Islamic views in Australia to the anti-Catholic views held by a large number of people in the early 20th century.
He said he expected in coming decades people would look at today’s anti-Muslim movement as ‘mistaken’.
“The anti-Muslim, anti-immigration, fearful rallies in recent days are a sad feature of some parts of the Australian community,” he said.
“They are based on fear, ignorance, stereotyping, and sometimes even racism.
“I had an old uncle who grew up in the early decades of the 1900s ... he believed that all the Catholics in Australia were ready to take over the nation ... they would destroy our way of life, our values.
“He reminds me of the people today who think that all the Muslims in this country are really disloyal to Australia and just waiting for some world leader of Islam to give the order.”
Comment was sought from the Islamic Council of Victoria, the City of Casey.
CONTROVERSIAL COUNCILLOR
■ Cr sacked as committee chair
In December 2014, Cr Crestani was removed from her post as chair of the council’s general purposes comittee after ‘upsetting a lot of people’.
■ Casey Cr Rosalie Crestani slammed for anti-gay stance
In November 2014 Cr Crestani lobbied councillors to support her push to stop the city providing diversity training for staff, displaying signs supporting sexual equality or issuing media releases on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) issues.
■ Police and protesters clash during March for the Babies
In 2014 she attended a rally on the steps of parliament opposing reproductive choice for women.
■ Casey Cr joins controversial anti-multiculturalism party
In 2013 she joined the Rise Up Australia Party; a political party that opposed multiculturalism and whose leader Daniel Nalliah blamed the 2009 Black Saturday bush fires on the state’s abortion laws.