Published:
Jan 13, 2023 02:42 GMT
Dominic Perrottet apologized, especially to the Jewish community, at a press conference.
The Prime Minister of New South Wales, Dominic Perrottet, 40, gave a speech on Thursday, in which he admitted having dressed up in a Nazi uniform on his 21st birthday and apologized to the population of the Australian state, and especially to the Jewish community, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
“I am deeply ashamed of what I did, and I am truly sorry for the damage and pain this is going to cause. to people across our state, and in particular to members of the Jewish community, Holocaust survivors, veterans and their families,” Perrottet said. The politician described his act as “a terrible mistake by a young man from 21 years that I had no depth or appreciation” and stressed that at that time he did not understand the seriousness of his action.
Perrottet decided to reveal the fact, after the call he received 2 days ago from a colleague in the cabinet, who touched on the theme of that costume party. At the same time, he claimed that “I wasn’t the person I had been at 21“, since the person he is today “is formed by the good things he did in life, not by the mistakes he made.”
reactions
The press conference took place almost 2 months before the elections, scheduled for March, in which Perrottet will run again for the conservative coalition. Despite the possible negative consequences for the formation, its representatives expressed their support for the prime minister. Thus, the treasurer, Matt Kean, maintained that he will continue to support Perrottet, and Mark Coure, Minister of Multiculturalism, stressed that “His words today show that he reflected on the past, accepted his mistakes, learned from them and is focused on building a better future for New South Wales.”
However, opposition leaders took the opportunity to call for his resignation and condemn his actions. Independent candidate Karen Freyer said she believed there was “no excuse” for wearing a Nazi uniform. Meanwhile, the former Labor Premier of New South Wales, Bob Carr, declared that Perrottet became “ineligible” after confession and added that the politician “must go”.
Prior to the public announcement, Perrottet contacted the leaders of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, David Ossip and Darren Bark. In a joint statement both declared that “the prime minister was a strong supporter and friend of the jewish community throughout his public lifeparticularly as treasurer, ensured that the Sydney Jewish Museum received funding to ensure that it could continue to educate the community about the Holocaust and the horrors of the Nazi era.”
