An LNP Senator Said Lockdown Measures Are A “Knee On The Throat” Of The Economy
"(The premier) is the knee on the throat of the businesses of Queensland, stopping them from breathing," LNP Senator Amanda Stoker said.
LNP Senator Amanda Stoker is being slammed for comments she made in which she used the death of George Floyd while in police custody as a gross metaphor for the economy and border closures.
“What worries me most is that [Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszcukuk knows it is absolutely choking our economy by having our borders shut. She is the knee on the throat of the businesses of Queensland, stopping them from breathing,” Amanda Stoker told Sky News last Thursday.
New lows for LNP – Senator Amanda Stoker accuses Qld Premier of being “the knee on the throat of the businesses of Qld, stopping them from breathing.” Who uses the words of a dying man to score a political point? pic.twitter.com/Dxdr0dvD2P
— Senator Murray Watt (@MurrayWatt) June 15, 2020
Of course, anyone not living under a rock knows that George Floyd was killed when Minneapolis police knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes, choking him. His death sparked global protests against police brutality and the systemic racism that people of colour around the world still face.
Using the death of a man to try and score cheap political points has caused widespread disgust.
Yesterday in Question Time she was called out for her comments by NT Labor Senator Malarndirri McCarthy. This prompted her to finally apologise today “for any genuine hurt caused”.
“I used an unfortunate turn of phrase. It wasn’t premeditated, rehearsed or intended to offend. It was an impromptu comment meant to demonstrate to those people affected by those borders closures that someone understood their pain,” she claimed.
Of course, she then went on to somehow make herself the victim by claiming some of her parliamentary colleagues had sought to “sensationalise” her comments.
“For anyone genuinely hurt or offended, please know that was never my intention and I do apologise for any offence or hurt caused,” she said.
It is the language of a black man being murdered by the police. Amanda Stoker unapologetically racist. https://t.co/H3mXh0HH9j
— TonyDee (@tgR_tsuru) June 16, 2020
Her apology in parliament came after she initially tried to defend herself to reporters, where Amanda Stoker actually doubled down by using the ‘choking’ analogy again.
“I am really angry that the livelihoods of Queenslanders are going down the gurgler. They are struggling, and they are choking because they are being held back by border closures,” she said.
When asked whether she meant to invoke George Floyd’s death, she said she did not intend it that way — and claimed “everyone says all kinds of things in the heat of the moment”.
“But because there’d been so much discussion around that subject I suspect it was just front of mind,” she said.