Sad day for America, lessons for Australia

Anthony Albanese has been quick to make a clear distinction between the growing number of increasingly violent attacks on federal MPs’ offices around the country and what happened on the weekend to a former United States president.

While the Prime Minister is correct in saying the assassination attempt on Donald Trump is a whole other level of political violence, he is also justified in noting that the incident has intensified concern here in Australia.

During an ABC Radio interview on Monday (15 July), Mr Albanese was asked if the attack on the former president and current contender makes him think about the risk to himself.

“Of course it does, and that’s just a fact,” he said.

“It’s a great thing that in Australia, by and large, politicians, including the Prime Minister, can wander about events and can walk around safely. .. But, of course, there is a heightened concern out there.

“Overwhelmingly here in Australia, we have a peaceful political process, and we have peaceful transitions of power … and that’s a good thing that we have here, and it’s important that we don’t take it for granted.

“It’s important that democracy be cherished. It is our great asset and we need to look for unity wherever we can; look for respectful disagreement.”

The PM expressed concern that events such as splattering blood-coloured paint over an MP’s office, lighting fires outside of another MP’s office and smashing windows there, delivering suspect packages, etc – all of which have happened in Australia in the past weeks alone – could become “normalised”.

The political violence in Australia has elevated dramatically in recent times over the ongoing and tragic conflict in Gaza.

It has given rise to and emboldened both antisemitism and Islamophobia in this country – and MPs are being increasingly targeted.

“Different layers of violence can be seen as something that occurs,” Mr Albanese said before stressing that such violent acts disturb him.

“I’ve called it out. And there needs to be a stop to it because it is unacceptable,” he said.

But when pressed, the Prime Minister was very clear that what happened in the US is not comparable to the unrest here in Australia.

“I think we need to be very, very careful to draw a distinction between what is a violent act that we saw – for example, outside Josh Burns’ electorate office where it was very dangerous to light a fire. People live above that electorate office. The intimidation that’s occurred has not been good – but I don’t think we should draw a straight line between that and what we saw in the United States,” he said.

“[That] was, of course, a very different level. But it is a reminder, we just need to be able to have these discussions respectfully and based upon facts as well.”

Let’s hope it really is a startling reminder of what this nation can slip to if the ugly side of political disagreement continues to rise.

Elections have become far more heated in this country than has usually been the case previously.

Extreme players – on the left and on the right – are engaging in bolder and uglier tactics.

Debate, particularly online, has turned to abuse in many instances.

Certainly, it remains a safer political environment here in Australia than in the US, the UK and far too many third-world countries.

But baby steps here are growing into longer strides towards a future we might not be able to so easily distinguish from the rest of the world if left unabated.

Personally, I think Donald Trump was the worst president the United States has ever seen and the prospect of him returning to the White House is the stuff of nightmares.

But it is sickening that someone tried to kill him while he was campaigning.

That should be unimaginable.

Unfortunately, it’s not so unimaginable in the United States.

We must somehow collectively become vigilant to ensure that that part of the American way isn’t further embraced here.