AFP investigates Facebook post showing gun-wielding MP criticising ‘greenie’ rivals as Sarah Hanson-Young says photo prompted death threats against her

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Malcolm Turnbull has blasted George Christensen for a “very inappropriate” photo showing the MP holding a handgun captioned “do you feel lucky, greenie punks?”

Christensen posted the photo to Facebook on Sunday before widespread backlash led to a police referral and forced him to first amend the caption and then take down the image.

Queensland police said that no offence had been committed although the Australian federal police were still investigating the matter. The Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young complained the photo prompted death threats against her.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest George Christensen Facebook post on 18 February 2018 Photograph: Facebook

On Monday Turnbull told 3AW Radio the photo was “very inappropriate and he took it down after he was spoken to about it”.

“There’s been a referral to the Australian federal police, I checked on the way in and I gather they’re still evaluating the referral,” he said.

George Christensen reported to police over gun photo aimed at 'greenie' rivals Read more

Asked if it was a waste of police time because Christensen was not “seriously suggesting” shooting Greens, Turnbull said he would not comment on the matter since it was being investigated by the police except to say it was “clearly inappropriate”.

Hanson-Young described the picture as “vulgar” and said it was “highly irresponsible” to joke about shooting people, “particularly in the wake of the massacre in the US only last week – 17 people shot dead, including children”.

The Greens senator shared threats on Twitter she received after complaining about the photo, including one that said “hopefully George has left one in the chamber to fire directly into your vagina you hysterical fucking cunt”.

Sarah Hanson-Young💚 (@sarahinthesen8) Received this email tonight from George Christensen suporter. Classy. pic.twitter.com/jPXJEYuta9

As anger erupted over the Facebook post on Sunday, Christensen altered it to say: “You gotta ask yourself, do you have a sense of humour, greenie punks? Obviously not.”

The original comment said: “You gotta ask yourself, do you feel lucky, greenie punks?” – a take on the famous Dirty Harry movie franchise line, above a photo of Christensen aiming a handgun.

At around 9pm on Sunday Christensen took the photo down and replaced it with a meme captioned “brace yourselves – the keyboard warriors are coming”.

A screenshot from George Christensen’s Facebook page on Sunday night. Photograph: George Christensen's Facebook page

The Liberal National party MP said “sorry folks”, blaming Hanson-Young and the Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, for sending “their green Left followers into apoplexy about my tongue-in-cheek Dirty Harry photo”.

“Now these keyboard warriors are trolling my page so hard their fingers are bleeding from the typing.

“Normal posts and comments will resume tomorrow once they’ve taken their ginkgo and passion flower supplements. In the interim, enjoy the snowflake outrage.”

At a press conference on Monday Christensen repeatedly said he would “not be moralised at” by “extreme greens” for the post.

He claimed that environmental protests at mine sites are illegal and put workers’ livelihoods at risk and that environmentalists “are the ones actually putting real lives at risk” because of suicides he attributed to depressed economic activity.

Christensen said he had taken the photo down because Nigel Scullion, the leader of the Nationals in the Senate, had asked him to.

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Despite Christensen singling out the Greens, backlash to the image has come from across the political spectrum.

On Monday the Justice Party senator, Derryn Hinch, said the story had made him “ashamed” of politicians.

“For him to do that stuff with a gun yesterday when kids are being buried in Florida ... it is sick,” Hinch told Channel Seven’s Sunrise.

“I think the man should apologise on his knees. This is the most disgusting thing I have seen since I’ve been in Canberra.”