A leading Australian media personality faced a stinging backlash Thursday after mocking New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's accent during a moving speech in parliament about the Christchurch mosque attacks.
Ardern has been widely praised for her handling of the tragedy that saw 50 lives lost when an Australian white supremacist rampaged through two mosques.
During a speech on Tuesday she vowed never to use the name of the alleged shooter, Brenton Tarrant.
"Thank heavens NZ prime minister said she will never mention the name of the terrorist," Sam Newman, an ex-Aussie Rules football player and former co-host of the popular "Footy Show" on commercial television, tweeted on Wednesday.
"How grating is her accent?"
"To be clear, this had nothing to do with her sentiments. It DID have to do with the ghastly accent NZ's have cultivated. Now, bang on about that being racist. That should occupy your tiny brains."
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