An Australian politician who is best known for a viral TikTok clip where he linked gay marriage and crocodile attacks is doubling down on his stance, while also suggesting children as young as 14 years old be armed.
Australian politician Bob Katter, 78, is no stranger to controversy. Katter, who has been an Australian MP since 1993, rose to internet fame last year when a clip of him from 2017 went viral on TikTok.
The clip featured Katter discussing same-sex marriage before going on a strange tirade about crocodiles.
"I mean, you know, people are entitled to their sexual proclivities. Let there be 1000 blossoms bloom, as far as I am concerned," Katter said in the clip before laughing.
"But I ain't spending any time on it because in the meantime, every three months, a person is torn to pieces by a crocodile in north Queensland," he finished.
The clip garnered huge attention partly because of the bizarre linking of the two topics, and partly because of Katter's obvious disdain when he began discussing crocodile attacks.
Katter featured on the most recent episode of New Zealand Today where he sat down with host and comedian Guy Williams to discuss the viral clip – but things quickly went awry.
What started as a lighthearted discussion about the clip ended with Katter doubling down on recent suggestions Australian teenagers should be armed.
Katter said he still can't understand why his video went viral and while he briefly joked around with Williams, he quickly turned to the important issues.
"I'm being serious now. A little kid in Bamaga was playing where his forebears played for 40,000 to 50,000 years. He was grabbed in the jaws of the crocodile. Nothing was done about the crocodile and another child vanished in exactly the same spot and then another child vanished in the same spot," he told Williams.
"Please excuse my rage and fury and if you have no respect for human life then maybe someone should terminate yours."
But Williams questioned what that had to do with gay marriage to which Katter suggested if he keep harassing him, he might feed him to a crocodile.
Williams then pivoted to ask about recent headlines suggesting Katter wanted to arm 14-year-olds. But he pushed back against that, saying he actually called for all teenage boys to have combat weapons and training as well as a "missile fortress" around the country.
"I said I wanted every single boy in secondary school to have combat a weapon and be trained to use it.
"We need a missile fortress wall around our country, and they will make it through the missile fortress wall..."
Williams then jumped in, joking that when they got through the fortress they would be faced by a 14-year-old with a gun - but Katter didn't seem to think it was a laughing matter.
"You laugh but when I was younger than you, I was given a rifle and I was on my way to Indonesia," he said.
Williams questioned whether modern kids were up for defending Australia using VietCong-style tactics.
To which Katter suggested they would be if they were given "a rifle and a sense of responsibility and respect."
Watch the latest episode of New Zealand Today on ThreeNow.
