A fired-up Pauline Hanson has claimed that radical Islamic preachers spreading hate speech should have been ’rounded up’ and charged years before the Bondi Beach attack.
The One Nation leader delivered the remarks while visiting Bondi Pavilion on Tuesday, where she was swamped by mourners who had gathered amid a growing sea of floral tributes for the 15 victims of Sunday evening’s massacre.
‘I would have them rounded up,’ she said.
‘Rounded up and you would be charged over your hate speech. It should not be allowed on our streets.
‘After October 7, how they just went out there and celebrated and it was the best thing that they’ve ever heard about.
‘That should not have been allowed. They should have been actually questioned over that.’
Aussies threw their support behind Hanson following her visit to the memorial.
‘Pauline, you are a voice of reason!’ one wrote on Facebook.
One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson (pictured) placing flowers at a makeshift memorial at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Tuesday afternoon
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson (pictured right) has demanded radical Islamic preachers be ’rounded up’ as part of a sweeping crackdown on extremism
‘Our next prime minister,’ a second added.
Albanese revealed on Monday that alleged shooter Naveed Akram, 24, was investigated by ASIO in 2019 because of his involvement with ‘individuals of concern’.
The six-month-long probe ultimately ruled he did not appear to pose an ongoing threat.
Now, it has been revealed he was investigated because of his connection to the hate-preaching influencer El Matari, 26, who was arrested in July 2019 for being a member of Islamic State and planning a terrorist act.
Australian Federal Police began monitoring El Matari – who was exposed to radicalised beliefs by peers from about the age of 15 – after he returned to Australia in 2018 from Lebanon, where he had spent nine months in jail for attempting to join IS.
Counterterrorism officials also discovered during the ASIO probe that Naveed was a follower of pro-Islamic State preacher Wisam Haddad according to ABC reports.
Haddad is a religious leader with longstanding ties to Australian terrorists and foreign jihadist leaders.
He has been closely watched by ASIO for years but has never been charged with a terrorism offence.
Naveed Akram is pictured preaching Islam in 2019 at Bankstown train station
Alleged Bondi shooter Naveed Akram (pictured) was investigated by ASIO over his connection to hate-preaching influencer El Matari who was arrested in 2019 for planning a terrorist act
Hanson, who said she has been ‘ridiculed’ over her stance on immigration, said Australia needed to scrutinise the countries from which migrants are allowed to come.
‘This should never have happened,’ she said.
‘Certain countries, they should not be allowed to migrate here.’
Hanson called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to deal with ‘hate preachers’ out on the streets.
‘Don’t be weak and don’t be pathetic,’ she said.
‘It’s not about whether you’re going to get the Muslim vote in some of these communities to ensure that you’re in government, it’s about doing the right thing for all Australians.’
Hanson added eligibility to become an Australian citizen should be extended to ten years.
‘If these people are not the right fit for this country, then sorry, you don’t get your citizenship,’ she said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured) meets Bondi shooting victim Ahmed al Ahmed at St George Hospital
A second memorial was held at Bondi Beach on Tuesday night following the devastating terror attack when a father and son allegedly opened fire during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration.
Naveed and his father Sajid, 50, stood on a footbridge connecting Campbell Parade to the Bondi Pavilion on Sunday night, allegedly firing shots into a crowd as people screamed and sprinted for cover.
The death toll remains at 16 with another 22 still in hospital.
The youngest victim was 10-year-old Matilda, whose grieving parents addressed the crowd at Tuesday night’s vigil.
Some of the grieving families have lashed out at the Albanese government over its response to antisemitism attacks since October 2023 when Israel was struck by terrorist attacks that claimed 1,400 lives.
Hanson, who met Matilda’s family, accused the federal government of ignoring persistent warnings about rising antisemitism and terror threats.
‘The Prime Minister never heeded the warning signs including the weekly antisemitic protests across our nation, hate speech from certain religious clerics, what’s happening in our obnoxious universities, and the probable terrorist threat alert,’ she said.
‘The people in this country deserve better than this. We see many wars that are happening around the world, don’t bring them to Australia.’