Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison faced enraged hecklers and an angry firefighter in a town ravaged by bushfires, piling pressure on the leader amid an unprecedented crisis that has killed at least 18 people.
A firefighter refused to shake Morrison’s hand when he visited the town of Cobargo in New South Wales state on Thursday.
“YOU’RE AN IDIOT”
Video footage showed Morrison tried to grab the man’s hand, who then got up and walked away, sparking an apology from the prime minister. A local fire official explained that the man had lost his house while defending others’ homes.
Australian victims blast PM Morrison WATCH
Another man blasted Morrison for watching fireworks over Sydney Harbour from his official waterfront mansion, Kirribilli House, while fires raged further south on New Year’s Eve. “You won’t be getting any votes down here, buddy. You’re an idiot,” the man shouted. “I don’t see Kirribilli burning after the fireworks,” he screamed.
Morrison said on Friday he didn’t take the attacks personally. “I just see it as a sense of frustration and hurt and loss and anger that is out there about what is the ferocity of these natural disasters,” he told reporters in Bairnsdale in eastern Victoria state. “And I understand that, and we will seek to provide that comfort and support in whatever way we can,” he said.
