Australian minister accused of 'crude slur' after claiming Baroness Thatcher 'was unabashed racist who warned of Asian migrant invasion'

The Australian Foreign Minister has accused Baroness Thatcher of making 'unabashedly racist' comments after warning him that Australia could be 'overtaken' by Asian migrants.


Bob Carr claimed his wife Helena - who was born in Malaysia - was 'standing not far away' when she allegedly made the controversial comments, but was 'fortunately out of earshot.'

But the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Australia Julie Bishop said his 'crude' comments are graceless and he should immediately apologise to her family.

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Accusations: The Australian foreign minister Bob Carr has accused Baroness Thatcher death of making 'unabashedly racist' comments, warning him that Australia could be 'overtaken' by Asian migrants



'His decision to make these claims after her death is a crude attempt to slur the reputation of one of the 20th century's most outstanding leaders,' Ms Bishop said in a statement on Wednesday.




Mr Carr made the comments yesterday in a television interview from China - although his claims cannot now be verified.

'I recall one conversation I had with her in her retirement where she said something that was unabashedly racist,' he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.



Uncomfortable: Mr Carr said his wife Helena - who was born in Malaysia - was 'standing not far away' when she made the controversial comments, but was 'fortunately out of earshot'

'(She said) that if we allowed too much of it we'd see the natives of the land, the European settlers, overtaken by migrants,' he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Carr, a former premier of New South Wales state, said Lady Thatcher used the Pacific island nation of Fiji to as an example.

'She said you'll end up like Fiji. She said 'I like Sydney but you can't allow the migrants,' and in context she meant Asian migration, 'to take over otherwise you'll end up like Fiji where the Indian migrants have taken over'.




Criticism: Tasmanian Minister David O'Byrne's wrote on Twitter that Lady Thatcher was a 'war criminal,' stating 'lets never forget the Belgrano...'



The Belgrano's last moments in 1982. The cruiser was torpedoed by the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror on 2 May 1982. Its sinking remains one of the most controversial actions of the Falklands conflict


Anger: Opposition counterpart Julie Bishop says his comments are graceless and he should immediately apologise

Mr Carr admitted he 'couldn't believe' her comments and he was so speechless that he 'couldn't think of an appropriate reply.'

'It reminded me that despite yes, her greatness on those big questions - the role of the state, the evil nature of communist totalitarianism - there was an old fashioned quality to her that was entirely out of touch and probably explained why her party removed her in the early 90s.'

But Mr Carr added: 'I don't say that in any way to diminish the respect I felt for her because of the boldness of her political leadership. She deserves credit for that and that should be uppermost in our thoughts today.'

Lady Thatcher, 87, died on Monday after suffering a series of strokes.

Tasmanian Minister David O’Byrne’s wrote on Twitter that Lady Thatcher was a 'war criminal,' stating 'lets never forget the Belgrano...'


The Belgrano - a cruiser - was torpedoed by the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror on 2 May 1982.


Its sinking remains one of the most controversial actions of the Falklands conflict.


Yesterday Julia Gillard, Australia's first woman prime minister, described her time in office as a 'history-making achievement'.

VIDEO: 'Thatcher was unabashedly racist and old fashioned'



Thatcher was unabashedly racist and old fashioned. Aus Foreign...