New York Times Writes Scathing Editorial On Abbott’s “Brutal” Refugee Policy


Being on the receiving end of a damning op-ed by a publication’s edgiest, most-biased hack is one thing.

Copping scathing criticism from the entire Editorial Board of the world’s most respected and deeply cherished publication?

Such is the position of the Abbott Government overnight, as The New York Times’ Editorial Board have penned an absolutely damning editorial on Australia’s “brutal” treatment of refugees. The piece has struck a chord, as “New York Times” is now trending on Australian twitter (behind, at the time of writing, #BieberIsland. So it goes).

Placing Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his Government’s 2013 election-winning “stop the boats” campaign in the firing line, the NYT’s editorial warns against European officials using Australia as a case study for their escalating refugee crisis.

“Prime Minister Tony Abbott has overseen a ruthlessly effective effort to stop boats packed with migrants, many of them refugees, from reaching Australia’s shores. His policies have been inhumane, of dubious legality and strikingly at odds with the country’s tradition of welcoming people fleeing persecution and war.”

Reporting on the recent findings by a Senate Inquiry on the harrowing conditions of Australian off-shore detention centres, the New York Times ends their editorial on a sombre note, slamming Australia’s approach to welcoming refugees into conditions worse than that of the countries they fled.

“It is inexcusable that some find themselves today in situations that are more hopeless and degrading than the ones that prompted them to flee.”

Read the New York Times’ editorial in full here.

Via NYT.
Lead image by Scott Fisher via Getty.

More Stuff From PEDESTRIAN.TV