Vegemite is the latest brand to be targeted by an ongoing campaign to boycott halal-certified products, with a member of federal parliament also entering the fray as the fallout from the anti-halal movement continues.
The iconic Australian spread is latest company to draw the attention of an online network of anti-Islam campaigning groups, which SmartCompany recently revealed had political ties to One Nation and were deliberately targeting Australian businesses in an organised social media assault.
National Party MP George Christensen has suggested in a blog post the halal certification fee paid by Vegemite in order to sell its products to Muslim customers is funding organisations with extremist views and activities in Australia. “It’s lovely to know a jar of the salty black stuff is sponsoring the advocacy of robbing women of all of their marital property rights,” Christensen said.
The coalition backbencher said because the products were not clearly labelled as halal, customers were forced to complain. “This is exactly what many consumers are now doing and the commentariat are condemning; they are exercising their rights as consumers,” he said.
Mike Holt, chief executive officer of the Queensland-based anti-Islam lobby group Restore Australia and former One Nation candidate, previously told SmartCompany a network of anti-Islam groups were responsible for the online attacks against a number of Australian businesses. “What we do is target companies and if we coordinate that protest, it has much bigger effect. They start to see all backlash against it,” said Holt.
The ongoing campaign has gathered momentum in recent weeks, with one of the key Facebook groups, Boycott Halal Australia, now boasting more than 36,000 followers – rising by 3000 likes in just over a week.
Consumers who buy halal products could be funding Islamist extremism, an Abbott government backbencher claims.
A pig’s head has been thrown at a mosque in Newcastle – the second attack at the site in less than a week. The head was discovered by worshippers in the mosque’s courtyard in Wallsend just before midday on Wednesday. The incident was caught on CCTV.
Newcastle’s Muslim community says it is shocked to hear of a worshipper being assaulted in an unprovoked attack outside the city’s mosque overnight.
Penrith Council has voted to continue its development approval for an Islamic prayer centre in Kemps Creek.
