‘Wave a flag and fall in line': Former ABC comedian Greg Larsen on why he doesn't celebrate Anzac Day
Australian comedian and former ABC figure Greg Larsen has attracted serious criticism after dishing out comments about Anzac Day.
In a podcast episode of The Greg Larsen Show uploaded a day before Anzac Day, Larsen was his usual irreverent self when he began with a comment designed to rile up patriots around Australia.
'Here's my hot take: I reckon I could beat all the Anzacs in a fight. There, I said it. I reckon they're not so tough,' he said.
Larsen, who previously featured on ABC programs such as Tonightly and Spelling Bee, clarified he was joking about fighting Anzacs.
A picture of Larsen edited in front of a communist flag posted to his official Instagram handle tells you just about everything you need to know about what's coming next. He has acknowledged he is a 'big leftie' and has used inflammatory topics like patriotism in his work as a standup comedian.
He even acknowledged what he was about to say was to 'up his listener count'.
But he shifted to a more serious tone when explaining why he refuses to commemorate Anzac Day.
'I believe, and I believe this firmly, that Anzac Day was invented as a jingoistic, nationalistic myth to get you to wave a flag and fall in line,' he said.
'I believe that the very existence of Anzac Day as a commemoration is a slap in the face to everyone who died at Gallipoli. And laying a wreath while saluting the flag is the same as pissing on the graves of the poor souls who died for no good reason.'
Larsen also argued that the concept of a 'nation' is still a relatively new concept.
'We invented countries around 300 years ago. Australia's myth is the Anzacs — that's our myth, that's where we believe the country was founded, and it wasn't.
'We believe that Australia grew up that day and that we became a nation on that day, and I believe that is all total f**king horsesh*t.'
Larsen further stated that the Anzacs form a certain 'myth' that plays a giant role in Australia's national identity.
'Anzac Day should not be a day where we fly a flag, Anzac Day should be a day where we burn a flag,' he said.
His comments were labelled 'disgusting' by Sky News, while a Vietnam War veteran told the Daily Mail he was disappointed.
'Denigrate war, but don't denigrate the soldier,' Michael von Berg MC OAM said.
'We're under attack from all quarters from people who simply don't love our country, our flag, and our traditions, and it's very sad.'
A spokesperson for the ABC told Sky News that Larsen 'isn't an ABC employee' and that his podcast 'isn't ABC content'.
The narrative around Anzac Day remains a hot topic. A dawn service in Melbourne on Anzac Day saw neo-Nazis in the crowd boo during the Welcome to Country.
The debate made its way to the campaign trail this week, where Opposition Leader Peter Dutton admitted he would rather not see the official acknowledgement at Anzac Day events, but would leave the decision to cull them up to each event organiser.
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has described the tradition as 'divisive'.
'There is no problem with acknowledging our history, but rolling out these performances before every sporting event or public gathering is definitely divisive,' she said.
'It's not welcoming, it's telling non-Indigenous Australians 'this isn't your country' and that's wrong. We are all Australians and we share this great land.'
She said 'around the country' there were some people whose 'only role, their only source of income, is delivering Welcome to Country'.
'Everyone's getting sick of Welcome to Country,'' she said.
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