Australian MP Critically Injured After Being Rammed by SUV
Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba
Eyewitnesses and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the act as deliberate, not an accident. Social media posts linked to the suspect discussed the Gaza war and environmental issues, though police are still investigating his motives. Haines, an independent MP, has been a vocal advocate for climate action and has called for sanctions on Israel and an end to the Gaza conflict.
The story in 4 lines · by baba
- Eyewitnesses and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated the attack on Haines was a deliberate act, not an accident.
- Haines suffered severe lower body injuries, including the loss of one leg, and doctors are fighting to save her other leg.
- Police are investigating the motive behind the attack, while Albanese has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
- Haines has previously advocated for climate action and urged Australia to pressure Israel regarding the Gaza conflict.
Doctors are attempting to save her other leg.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated that eyewitnesses in Wangaratta saw the driver perform a U-turn and strike Haines, then reverse to hit her a second time. "They reported that the driver made a U-turn to enter a car park, then rammed Helen and pinned her against his vehicle. He then reversed and did it a second time," Burke said.
He had reportedly contacted Haines on social media platform X multiple times, most recently six years ago, and once praised her stance on climate change. Haines, elected in 2019, has advocated for strong climate action and urged Australia to impose sanctions on Israel and pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to end the Gaza conflict, calling for an immediate ceasefire and urgent humanitarian aid.
Posts from the linked X account also referred to Haines and Foreign Minister Penny Wong as "US lapdogs" and suggested that if they had warned Israel about its actions, the world would not be in its current state. A 2024 post from the account criticized Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for calling for a Gaza ceasefire, stating that Israel was bombing innocent people in Rafah due to diplomatic cover and military aid from countries like Australia.
Albanese, however, asserted, "It was clearly a deliberate act. This was not an accident, someone simply slid off the road here." He reiterated to ABC News, "This was not an accident. It appears to have been a deliberate act." Haines, an independent MP since 2019, was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, Victoria.
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