On July 22, Socialist Alliance Senate candidate Soubhi Iskander condemned the Australia First Party's leaflets attacking immigrants from Africa. The leaflets were letterboxed in the western Sydney suburb of Seven Hills.
Iskander is a refugee from Sudan and lives in Seven Hills.
βThis is a call to incite racist violence against communities of colour", Iskander said.
βBlaming Africans for the social problems in Sydney's west that are the result of a lack of employment, affordable housing and public transportation is wrong.
βAustralia First is portraying African immigrants as monkeys. This is insulting as well being a crude appeal to racism.
βAustralia First thinks it can get away [with] this blatant racism in the context of both major parties' race to the right on their policy on asylum seekers.β
Iskander called on local Liberal MP Louise Markus and the ALP to condemn these racist slurs against African immigrants.
βThe truth is Australia accepts only a tiny portion of the global number of refugees. Last year it was around 13,000 people. According to the UNHCR, Australia ranks 47th in the world in terms of numbers it takes. So we are not overdoing our share, as the Australia First Party seems to think.β