UPDATE: The NSW Rural Fire Service has denied booting Paul Parker from the organisation. Read more about it here.
The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) volunteer who leaned out of his truck to tell Prime Minister Scott Morrison to “get fucked, from Nelligen” says he was relieved of his duties because of the rant, claiming the organisation took major offence to his verbal tirade.
Appearing on The Project last night to have a chat about the bar tab established in his honour, Paul Parker said an RFS member threatened to send the police after him due to his on-air spray.
“The message I got was ‘It’s about time you brought the truck back, because we’re about to send the police to go look for you’, and then there were further comments with gestures and arm movements saying that I’m finished, it’s all over,” Parker said.
“Another captain from another brigade in Batemans Bay came out, and I asked him the question. I said ‘What’s going on?’
“And he said ‘You’re finished, because of your allegations and foul language against the Prime Minister of the country while representing the RFS.”
Parker’s statement stands in contrast to a January statement from the RFS, who told 7 News Parker was asked to “take a break” due to exhaustion, with his comments towards the PM “absolutely not” a contributing factor.
“Didn’t know you could get sacked from a volunteer organisation, but apparently you can,” Parker said.
His appearance on The Project has sparked a new wave of support online, with thousands of tweets referencing the #IStandWithFiremanPaul emerging after the segment.
If Australia of today is anything like the country it claims to be, this should cause absolute outrage. Not only was Paul Parker saving homes & lives while the PM tanned up in Hawaii, he expressed succinctly what pretty much a whole country was thinking. #IStandWithFiremanPaul https://t.co/Rz5rtosCLK
— Rohan Connolly (@rohan_connolly) February 16, 2020
https://twitter.com/CrNicWright/status/1229116864367714305
One of these people is a hero. The other one is the Prime Minister of Australia. How have we become this country?#NotMyPrimeMinister #IStandWithFiremanPaul pic.twitter.com/wkQy6mAdyR
— Sandra N (@attempt57) February 16, 2020
You can watch the interview here.
