One Nation voters and Barnaby Joyce have hit out after Labor Party and Greens figures said they should not be supporting the Socceroos because of the team’s multicultural heritage.
Former ALP member of parliament John Kennedy and ex-Greens candidate Hannah Thomas both posted messages telling One Nation backers their support for the party disqualifies them from cheering on the Aussie team.
Kennedy – who was MP for the Melbourne seat of Hawthorn from 2018 to 2022 – posted the warning on X soon after the Socceroos’ extraordinary World Cup win against the highly favoured Turkey side on Sunday.
’18 players [with] direct immigrant or refugee heritage. Over 15 different ethnic backgrounds. 4 players born in/raised in refugee camps. 3 players born outside Aus. If you support One Nation, then don’t support the Socceroos. Just be a racist, not a racist hypocrite,’ he wrote.
Thomas chimed in on Instagram shortly after the match ended.
‘One Nation would deport half the Socceroos and defund SBS [the World Cup host broadcaster] so we couldn’t even watch them,’ she wrote.
‘Gentle reminder that if you enjoyed that win today, you shouldn’t be on team Pauline.’
Both posts drew angry responses from One Nation supporters, with some pointing out that the party enjoys support from many migrants to Australia.
Former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas (pictured) was slammed by many commenters when she told One Nation supporters they shouldn’t be fans of the Socceroos
Pictured: Part of Thomas’s post, in which she told Aussies who celebrated the Aussies’ World Cup win over Turkey that they ‘shouldn’t be on team Pauline’
When Hanson’s One Nation posted a message of congratulations to the Socceroos on Facebook, many Aussies took the same line as Thomas as they slammed the party’s stance on immigration
‘Funny though… huge support for ON from immigrants,’ one wrote in reply to Kennedy.
‘Your argument is BS. It’s mass immigration that’s stuffing the country. 1.4 million since Albo became PM,’ added another.
‘I see this said about One Nation a lot but I haven’t seen it followed by any facts. If they’re racist then f**k them but can you tell me which race they’re against and which specific policies they have that are racist? It’d be good info for conversations moving forward,’ wrote a third.
‘There is always someone prepared to make it about race and until they all stop, racism just continues. Do your part and shut the hell up,’ another commenter said.
Thomas was also slammed in the comments on her post.
‘You all miss the point!!! There is a MASSIVE difference between immigration and MASS IMMIGRATION. VERY DIFFERENT. It seems every single one of these Aussie footballers has assimilated well to the Australian culture and is proud to be an Aussie,’ one response read.
‘Being the child of a migrant/refugee doesn’t obligate me to support every level or form of immigration policy forever,’ added another.
‘Wants to greatly reduce immigration not stop it completely. Where do you stand on overpopulation in our drying climate? Desalination, deforestation? That’s my issue with the Greens and sitting on the fence with these real issues,’ wrote a third.
Former Labor MP John Kennedy (pictured) also told One Nation supporters ‘don’t support the Socceroos’
Pictured: Kennedy’s message on X, which saw some Aussies remind him that many migrants support One Nation
Nestory Irankunda (front) celebrates the Aussies’ 2-0 win over Turkey at the World Cup. Many members of the team were either born overseas or have strong immigrant heritage
When the Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party Facebook account posted a message congratulating the Socceroos on the victory, many commenters took the same line as Kennedy and Thomas.
‘Let’s be real. If One Nation was in power, half the team wouldn’t have been allowed into the country,’ one wrote.
‘Funny how One Nation loves the fruits of migration when it comes in a green and gold jersey. You can’t support the goals if you oppose the people scoring them,’ said another.
‘That guy who opened the scoring for the Aussies? He wouldn’t have been in Australia if you had your way,’ another wrote, referring to Nestory Irankunda, who was born in a refugee camp in Tanzania.
Even the Betoota Advocate got in on the act.
‘One Nation In Trouble As Australia Receives Biennial Reminder That Multiculturalism Is Key To Patriotic Sporting Glory,’ the satirical news outfit posted to Instagram.
On Monday, Joyce hit back at the wave of criticism.
‘I would suggest that every person in Australia at some stage has immigrant blood in them,’ he told Sky News.
Barnaby Joyce (pictured) hit back at the wave of criticism of the party after the Socceroos’ win
Members of the Aussie national team (pictured celebrating the victory over Turkey) starred in a video shortly before the World Cup in which they said the side is ‘a reflection of modern Australia’
‘Unless you’re Aboriginal, and most Aboriginal people have got genetics from other places as well.
‘It’s not about being an immigrant, it’s about being a person who’s going to fit into Australia and work within the guardrails of our expectations.
‘Those guardrails are what protects the liberty and freedoms of other people, otherwise if you follow a philosophy that’s more attuned to where you came from and is not tempered by the fact you’re now in Australia, then it would be best if you had never left that place.’
According to a social media post from the official Socceroos account, several team members were born overseas.
Cameron Burgess and Harry Souttar hail from Aberdeen, Scotland, with Alessandro Circati coming from Fidenza in Italy, while Milos Degenek was born in Knin, Croatia.
Mohamed Toure was born in Conakry, Guinea; Paul Okon-Engstler comes from the Belgian city of Gent; Irankunda was born in Kigoma, Tanzania; and Awer Mabil hails from Turkana in Kenya, where he was born in a refugee camp.
Shortly before the World Cup, the team released a video explaining their roots, with several stars discussing where they originally come from.
Professional Footballers Australia chief executive Beau Busch said the clip was designed to ‘highlight the profound impact of multiculturalism’ on Australia.
The clip features stars like Souttar and Jacob Italiano repeating the phrase, ‘The Socceroos aren’t just a team, we are a reflection of modern Australia.’
