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Scott Morrison demands apology from China over 'repugnant' fake tweet showing Australian soldier murdering child
By foreign affairs reporter
Stephen Dziedzic and political reporter
Jane Norman
Posted 5hhours ago, updated 55mminutes ago
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Scott Morrison says the tweet from a Chinese Government spokesman was "repugnant"
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is demanding the Chinese Government delete a "repugnant" tweet attacking the Australian Defence Force in the wake of a landmark war crimes inquiry.
WARNING: This story contains graphic content that some readers may find upsetting.
Key points:
- China's Foreign Ministry spokesman tweeted a fake image showing an Australian soldier murdering a child
- Scott Morrison is demanding a formal apology from the Chinese Government over the image
- Last week China said it "strongly condemned" the actions of Australian soldiers who allegedly committed war crimes
The Chinese Government posted the extraordinary and violent image of an Australian soldier murdering an Afghan child, as relations between the two nations continue to spiral downwards.
China and Russia have both attacked Australia following the release of the Brereton report which found Australian special forces
committed at least 39 unlawful killings during the war in Afghanistan.
Mr Morrison said the Government had reached out to the Chinese Government and contacted Twitter to have the post removed.
"Australia's seeking an apology from the Chinese Government for this outrageous post," he said.
"We're also seeking its removal immediately.
The reckoning for alleged crimes is about to begin
The soldiers of the SAS have been held up as heroes, yet a small number of them are being accused of the most heinous of crimes, including the murder of innocents, writes Mark Willacy.
Last week China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China "strongly condemned" the soldiers' actions, and said the report "fully exposed the hypocrisy of the human rights and freedom these Western countries are always chanting".
But today Mr Zhao dramatically intensified his attack on Australia, saying on Twitter he was "shocked by murder of Afghan civilians & prisoners by Australian soldiers."
He accompanied the tweet with an illustration which appeared to show a grinning Australian soldier holding a bloody knife to the throat of a child who is holding a lamb.
The child's face is covered with a blue cloth. The text beneath the photo reads: "Don't be afraid, we are coming to bring you peace!"
The image was tweeted by Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian.(Supplied: Chinese Ministry Of Foreign Affairs)
It has since emerged that the image was created by an artist who often makes politically-charged statements and posted the picture on Chinese social media platform, Weibo, last week.
It appears to be a reference to rumours that members of the SAS cut the throats of two 14-year-old Afghan boys who they suspected were Taliban sympathisers.
But those hearsay accounts were never substantiated during the four-year-long Brereton inquiry.
The shocking image seems deliberately designed to provoke anger in Australia. One Federal Government source dismissed the photo as "rank propaganda".
Last week Mr Morrison tried to reframe the debate over the bilateral relationship by praising China's economic record and urging it not to view Australia through the lens of strategic competition with the United States.
But on Friday the Chinese Government announced sweeping tariffs on Australian wine exports which are likely to cripple parts of the industry.
The shocking image posted from Zhao Lijian seems to indicate that Beijing's hostility towards Australia has cemented.
One Federal Government source said the fact the post was given the green light showed that Beijing was intent on displaying contempt towards Australia and would continue ramping up pressure in an attempt to extract concessions.
