State leader Daniel Andrews has delivered a stinging tirade at families and Melbourne locals who opposed a drag storytime event at a public library.
In a speech to the Victorian Parliament, the Labor premier labelled the actions of those protesting the Monash City Council’s decision as “shameful.”
Andrews claimed it was “not an exercise in free speech but an exercise in hate speech, bigotry, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia—the list goes on.”
“My message to those people is very [clear], if you want to behave like the worst elements of the Floridian Republican Party, well, get to Florida. Get over there where your hateful views might be worth something. They’re worth nothing here,” he told sitting MPs on May 4.
On Twitter, the premier wrote, “Just imagine for a moment making a death threat over a story time for kids. Because that’s all it is.”
“This Americanisation of our politics has no place here,” he added.
Read more: Go to Florida: Australian Premier Lambasts Opponents of Drag Queen Event for Kids