Australian PM demands apology from China for ‘disgusting’ manipulated image

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison demanded an official apology from China for publishing an “offensive” and “outrageous” false image of an Australian soldier holding a bloody knife to the throat of an Afghan boy.

Morrison called an unscheduled press conference Monday afternoon to respond to the image, which was posted on Monday on the official Twitter account of China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lijian Zhao.

“Shocked by the killing of Afghan civilians and prisoners by Australian soldiers,” the caption reads. “We strongly condemn such acts and hold them accountable.”

The comments are a reference to the release of a damning defense report that found “credible evidence” of the alleged unlawful killing of 39 people by 25 Australian special forces troops.

Morrison described the post as “truly disgusting.”

“It is deeply offensive to all Australians, all Australians who have served in that uniform, all Australians who serve in that uniform today,” he said.

“Everyone who has put on a uniform and served with Australians overseas from any nation, has done so. It is absolutely outrageous and cannot be justified at all.”

The prime minister said the fact that it was posted on an official Chinese government account is “disgraceful.”

“The Chinese government should be totally ashamed of this publication,” he said.

“He disparages them in the eyes of the world. I want to make a couple of points about this. Australia is seeking an apology from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chinese government, for this scandalous charge. We are also seeking their removal immediately and have also been Contact Twitter to remove it immediately.

“It is a false image and a terrible insult to our great defense forces and the men and women who have served in that uniform for more than 100 years.”

In the first public response to Morrison’s comments, the editor of the Chinese state media outlet The Global Times, Hu XInjin, described the prime minister’s response as “ridiculous.”

“It is a popular cartoon condemning the brutal killing of 39 Afghan civilians by the Australian Special Forces,” Hu wrote on Twitter.

“For what reason is Morrison angry at the Chinese FM spokesperson’s use of this cartoon? It is ridiculous and shameless that he demanded that China apologize.

The dispute comes as Australia is debating the Defense Forces chief’s plan to revoke military honors from 3,000 special forces soldiers.

General Angus Campbell had argued that there is “collective responsibility” for the alleged crimes.

“I have accepted the Inspector General’s recommendation and will write to the Governor General requesting that he revoke the Meritorious Citation of Unity for Special Operations Task Forces that served in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013,” the general said.

“While necessary, I appreciate that these latest decisions will be a heavy blow to many.”

However, public backlash is growing, with a petition from a leading veterans advocacy group opposing the revocation of subpoenas now gathering more than 50,000 signatures.