Liberal Party Senator Jim Molan has threatened to sue Greens MP Adam Bandt unless he apologises for accusing him of being a war criminal.
Senator Molan, the father of sports presenter Erin Molan, said he had lawyers and financial backing organised ready to sue Mr Bandt for defamation if he didn’t make a public apology.
The Greens MP said Mr Molan, who has a decorated 40-year military career, would ‘probably be up for prosecution’ if an independent inquiry was launched into his actions in the Iraq War.
Senator Molan, the father of sports presenter Erin Molan, said he had lawyers and financial backing organised ready to sue Mr Bandt for defamation if he didn’t make a public apology
Senator Molan said he would pursue legal action if he wasn’t given an appropriate apology.
‘I would invite Mr Bandt to offer me a public apology,’ Mr Molan told The Australian on Wednesday.
‘If he publicly apologised to me for the statements that he made, then that would end the problem.’
Speaking to Sky News earlier in the week, Mr Bandt condemned Mr Molan for sharing videos by far-right UK group Britain First on Facebook.
The retired major-general and now NSW Liberal senator shared the videos in March last year which purport to show Muslim violence in Europe.
Senator Molan has since described the Britain First group as ‘scum’ but has not apologised for sharing the videos.
Mr Molan, who has a decorated 40-year military career, is pictured second from right
Senator Molan said he would pursue legal action if he wasn’t given an appropriate apology
Mr Bandt (pictured) condemned Mr Molan for sharing videos by far-right UK group Britain First on Facebook
Senator Molan is the father of Erin Molan, a sports presenter and television personality
Senator Molan told parliament on Monday he was not racist or anti-Islam and had shared the videos because he was against violence and anti-social behaviour.
Mr Bandt said Senator Molan was ‘a coward’ for refusing to apologise.
‘When you share white supremacist videos and then you justify it by saying ‘Oh, I’m doing it to stimulate debate’, and that is the line that came out of his office, you are a coward, you are a complete coward,’ he said.
‘If there was a proper inquiry, in an independent inquiry into the war in Iraq in Australia, like there has been in other countries, I think you would find Jim Molan would probably be up for prosecution rather than praise for his role in the atrocities in Fallujah.’
Greens leader Richard Di Natale earlier accused Mr Molan (pictured) of committing war crimes
The Fallujah campaign was heavily criticised for its indifference to civilians.
Greens leader Richard Di Natale earlier accused Mr Molan of committing war crimes.
He made the comment in Parliament on Monday night, and was therefore protected from defamation by parliamentary privilege.
His colleague Mr Bandt made his comments about the war veteran outside parliament and is therefore not protected from defamation.