Federal MP Bob Katter has distanced himself from a neo-Nazi group after he was seen using a megaphone bearing white runic markings at an anti-immigration rally in Townsville. The National Socialist Network (NSN) claimed ownership of the megaphone on Telegram, but Katter said he was unaware of any connection and described the media scrutiny as “bullying”.
Katter told Guardian Australia he pushed the megaphone away because it was “irritating” and not working properly. “I didn’t know it had any nasty connotations,” he said. His son, Queensland state MP Robbie Katter, also downplayed the issue, stating they used the speakerphone because they lacked their own.
The Greens have separately called on Katter to “apologise or resign” over a verbal altercation with a Channel Nine reporter last week, and have asked the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission to investigate his conduct.
Katter described himself as “the most pro-Jewish person in the parliament” and “the leader of the anti-Gazan mob”. He warned of potential defamation action over reporting about the megaphone, saying he was an “expert in libel actions”.
