A mayor has kicked a Tasmanian councillor out of a tense council meeting after he told another councillor they needed to ‘research racism’.
Burnie councillor Trent Aitken was removed from a meeting on Tuesday night following comments he made directed at his fellow councillor, Amina Keygan.
Keygan had requested that Aitken retract and apologise for what she deemed “inappropriate, offensive and racist comments” recently printed in the local newspaper about the child and youth safety organisational framework concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
“Will you please publicly withdraw your comments and apologise for the offence that they have caused both within your community as well as around this table?” Keygan said.
Speaking to The Advocate, Aitken had criticised measures aimed at safeguarding Aboriginal children as “racist garbage” and expressed disgust over individuals he referred to as “men pretending to be women” gaining access to female changing rooms.
Aitken, however, stood by his comments and refused to retract them. Instead, he suggested that Keygan “do some research on what racism is”.
It was at this point that Mayor Teeny Brumby stepped in to uphold a point of order for the ‘inappropriate commentary’ and urged Aitken to withdraw his comments.
“It’s offensive to make that comment … can I ask you please to withdraw that comment that she needs to do homework. It’s offensive. I need you to apologise Councillor Aitken,” Brumby said.
Aitken then doubled down, saying: “No, Mrs Mayor, no. I believe you [Ms Keygan] do need to do some homework.”
“I think you’ll find that the councillors use of the term of someone being racist is actually incorrect”, to which Councillor Keygan replied “He’s misrepresenting what my question was”.
The Mayor then “regrettably” suspended him from the meeting for failing to comply with her request and asked him to leave the chamber.
Councillor Aitken is expected to return for final Burnie council meeting of the year on December 12.
