EXCLUSIVE: Defiant western Sydney mayor who compared lockdown measures to living in Nazi Germany ignores calls to stand down: 'I will never resign'
A western Sydney mayor who compared lockdown measures to living in Nazi Germany has refused to stand down despite widespread backlash.
Steve Christou, mayor of Cumberland City Council, has been speaking out against Covid restrictions for weeks.
But his critics say he went a step too far by posting 'Welcome to Nazi Germany' on social media alongside a list of tighter restrictions on Friday.
Tough new rules announced across NSW on Saturday include a ban on anyone leaving Greater Sydney without a permit and an overhaul of singles bubble rules.
Fines for non-compliance were also increased from $1,000 to $5,000 - and no one can travel more than 5km from their home without a valid reason.
Steve Christou has apologised for comparing lockdown rules to living in Nazi Germany but also claimed he's been inundated with support from the public and celebrities - and refused the police minister's call for him to resign as Cumberland mayor
NSW Police Minister David Elliott ripped into Mr Christou and demanded he quit his role.
'To liken any Australian government to the horrors of Nazi Germany not only shows a blatant ignorance of history but insults the memory of those who suffered at the hands of Fascism,' Mr Elliott said.
'The mayor should step down and apologise given he is clearly unfit for public office.'
A defiant Mr Christou told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday night: 'I will never resign.'
Cumberland mayor Steve Christou went too far on Friday, comparing new lockdown restrictions to Hitler's Germany - but he swore to Daily Mail Australia he is not an anti-lockdown extremist
He said he had been 'inundated' with supportive messages, 'including from some very high profile celebrities from sport and entertainment' since the furore erupted.
He did offer an apology, but stood by his frustration at the state government.
'I wasn’t meaning to offend anyone and for that I apologise. It was a comparison that bit by bit our freedoms are being eroded and that’s the truth,' he said.
'I'm not an extremist, I wouldn't go and speak at an anti-lockdown rally, it's not my intention to fire those people up.
'My intention is to point out that the state government has lost control and we are losing our freedoms through no fault of our own.'
Tougher lockdown restrictions will include a greater police presence across NSW
NSW police announced Operation Stay At Home on Saturday after asking politicians for greater powers
Cumberland mayor Steve Christou claimed to have been 'inundated' with supportive messages, 'including from some very high profile celebrities from sport and entertainment'
He claimed Cumberland council - which is home to 245,000 residents and includes Covid hotspots Guildford, Merrylands and Auburn - has offered community centres as vaccination hubs but been ignored.
'Give us the jabs, give us the nurses,' Mr Christou said.
'Why wont the state government take us up on our offer to mass vaccinate?
'I want my community to get up to that 70 to 80 per cent vaccinated so we can get out of this lockdown.'
Mr Christou claimed Cumberland council - which is home to 245,000 residents and includes Covid hotspots Guildford, Merrylands and Auburn - has offered community centres as vaccination hubs but been ignored
NSW police minister David Elliott ripped into Cumberland mayor Steve Christou and called on him to resign
Mr Christou claimed he had texted and tried to phone Mr Elliott but hadn't received a response.
'I want dialogue with the state government so we can better work with one another,' he said.
'As an elected representative I will fight for my community whether I'm a mayor or just a counsellor.'
Two days earlier Mr Christou earned the ire of Federal Defence Minister Peter Dutton over his criticism of the use ADF personnel in western Sydney.
He called the deployment 'insensitive' arguing many western Sydney residents find the action confronting because they hail from war-torn nations.
Dutton responded calling him 'the nobody mayor'.
'People who seek political opportunity or advantage out of COVID and other people’s misery are the lowest form, to be frank,' Dutton said on 2GB.
GREATER SYDNEY NEW RESTRICTIONS AND FINES - SATURDAY
* Residents living in Greater Sydney must be given a permit to leave the region
* Travel radius for residents of Greater Sydney reduced from 10km to 5km
* Residents are also unable to visit their second homes except for under special circumstances
* $5,000 fines for breaching quarantine, lying on a permit or contact tracing
* $3,000 fines for breaching two-person exercise limit and wrongfully entering regional NSW
* Those who are eligible for the singles bubble in 12 LGAs of concern must register their companion online
* These LGAs are Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta, Strathfield, and parts of Penrith
* $320 payment plan for those having to isolate while awaiting test results and are unable to work will also be set up