Flag fury: Baird prepared to ban IS emblem
Politicians and community leaders are condemning the Sydney auction of a flag used by Islamic State terrorists.
The sale took place at a Liverpool mosque which was packed with families.
The NSW Premier Mike Baird said he would ban the flag if necessary.
“That is something we will consider and work with community groups about but we can’t have the position where you are seeing any activity that is promoting terrorism, supporting terrorism,” Mr Baird told The Daily Telegraph.
“There is no way in this state that we are going to support that."
Australian teenagers have reportedly been sharing video of the auction online, including a 15-year-old who posted it alongside extremist messages.
Muslim community leader Keysar Trad told News Corp. that the black and white standard has been hijacked by extremists.
'Scare campaign': Sydney mosque responds to flag outrage
The Sydney mosque at the centre of the controversy rejected reports a flag championed by Islamic State terrorists was auctioned in front of children.
In a statement this morning, Markaz Imam Ahmad (MIA) slammed the Daily Telegraph for 'engaging in the worst kind of sensationalism as part of a scare campaign'.
"As for the money raised at the auction was for the mosque and for no other purpose," MIA said.
“We reject any attempts to tarnish the good reputation of our centre and pledge to stand firm against the current wave of Islamophobia. We also believe that scapegoating and fear mongering has the serious potential of radicalising disaffected youth."
"This flag has been in existence for more than a thousand years, long before any terrorist organisation misappropriated it for its own political goals."
Morning news break – September 8
