Ipswich City Council has withdrawn funding for a World Harmony Day event after former One Nation candidate Shan Ju Lin’s anti-gay comments.
Ms Lin was dumped by Pauline Hanson’s party after she claimed on Facebook that “gays should be treated as patients” and that “abnormal sex behaviour leads to abnormal crime”.
Ms Lin is the president of a group named the World Harmony Society which is organising Ipswich’s World Harmony Day community event on March 11.
Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale (pictured) said councillors had decided not to provide $5000 of funding to the World Harmony Society, and called on Ms Lin to resign from the group.
“She’s is trying to use the harmony event to lift her profile,” Cr Pisasale told the ABC.
“She’s made stupid statements, but the one on the weekend about gays was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“We’re not going to tolerate that sort of behaviour that reflects on this city.”
Ms Lin rejected claims the festival was being used as a political tool, and said her remarks about homosexuals “should hardly be thought of as controversial”.
“This withdrawal of funding is itself politically motivated and can only harm attendees and the business community that go to great effort to sponsor and support the festival,” she said.
Ms Lin said she had no plans to step down from the committee.
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