Australia demands apology after Chinese government spokesperson shares ‘falsified’ and ‘repugnant’ depiction of Australian soldier

[tacobell fan]

In a press conference on Monday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison strongly condemned a “falsified” and “repugnant” image of an Australian soldier posted online by Chinese diplomat Zhao Lijian. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports that the image, which depicts a soldier carrying out an act of violence against a child, was created by an artist who “often makes politically-charged statements” and shared on social media in China, while Sky News and the BBC report the image is fake or doctored. Morrison says he is seeking an apology from China’s ministry of foreign affairs and said, “the Chinese Government should be totally ashamed of this post.” The incident comes weeks after an inquiry into the alleged conduct of Australian special forces in Afghanistan found war crimes were committed.