Australian Anti-Muslim Party Caught in Sting Seeking NRA Funding
- Al Jazeera trapped One Nation with fake gun-rights lobby group
- Party said cash would help it win balance of power in Senate
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Pauline Hanson’s anti-Muslim immigration party has been filmed lobbying the National Rifle Association in the U.S. for millions of dollars in funding, promising to help water down laws restricting gun ownership in Australia.
Al Jazeera says it set up a fake lobby group called Gun Rights Australia, and secretly filmed meetings between NRA officials and senior figures in the One Nation party. In one of the tapes, a party official asks for A$10 million ($7.1 million), saying the money would be used to win enough seats in Australia’s Senate to get the balance of power and influence government decision making. The request is denied by the NRA official.