Image: DFID – UK Department for International Development/Russell Watkins (https://www.flickr.com/photos/dfid/28150724375/) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Outline
Widely circulated message claims that former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard stated that immigrants should adapt to Australian culture, language and beliefs or leave the country and that Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law should get out of Australia.
Brief Analysis
Julia Gillard made no such comments. The message is nothing more than a revamped version of older hoaxes that named previous Australian Prime Ministers John Howard and Kevin Rudd. The supposed comments on immigration attributed to Gillard in this version were originally aimed at an American audience and were penned by Barry Loudermilk, a US Air Force veteran and columnist for a local newspaper in the American state of Georgia.
Example

W O W ! She Did It Again!!!Australia says NO — This will be the second Time Julia Gillard has done this!She sure isn’t backing down on her hard line stance and one has to appreciate her belief in the rights of her native countrymen. A breath of fresh air to see someone lead. Australian Prime Minister does it again!! The whole world needs a leader like this!
Prime Minister Julia Gillard – Australia
Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia, as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks. Separately, Gillard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying she supported spy agencies monitoring the nation’s mosques. Quote:
‘IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT… Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians.’ ‘This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.’ ‘We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language!’ ‘Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.’ ‘We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.’ ‘This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, ‘THE RIGHT TO LEAVE’.’ ‘If you aren’t happy here then LEAVE. We didn’t force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.’
NOTE: IF we circulate this amongst ourselves in Canada & USA , WE will find the courage to start speaking and voicing the same truths. If you agree please SEND THIS ON and ON, to as many people as you know…
Detailed Analysis
This message, which circulates via email and social media, claims that former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard told Muslims living in Australia that they should leave the country if they wished to live under Islamic Sharia law. According to the message, the Gillard government was targeting radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks and supported the monitoring of Mosques by spy agencies. The message, couched as a news report, goes on to quote a diatribe about immigration supposedly delivered by Gillard.
However, Julia Gillard did not make the comments attributed to her. In fact, the message is nothing more than a revamped version of much earlier messages that involved previous Australian Prime Ministers. The first version of the message claimed that it was Prime Minister John Howard who made the remarks. A later version attributed the comments to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. While the original Howard version did contain some elements of truth, both the Rudd and Gillard versions have no basis in fact.
The first part of the message suggests that Prime Minister Gillard told Muslims who wished to live under Islamic Sharia law that they should get out of Australia. It is true that, back in 2005, a high profile Australian political leader did make comments suggesting that Islamic extremists who desired to turn Australia into an Islamic state should leave. However, it was in fact then Federal Treasurer Peter Costello who actually uttered the comments. It is also true that – again in 2005 – then Prime Minister John Howard gave government support to spy agencies monitoring the nation’s mosques. I discuss the original John Howard version of the message in more detail in a separate article here.
The next part of the message transcribes what is claimed to be a speech delivered by Julia Gillard detailing her policies and thoughts on immigration. The piece calls on immigrants to learn English, adapt to Australian values and lifestyle and pointedly reminds them that they always have the right to leave if they are unhappy in their adopted country.
However, the quoted words were not uttered by Julia Gillard and were circulating in various forms years before she supposedly said them. In fact, the words were originally intended for an American audience and were part of a longer piece penned by Barry Loudermilk, a US Air Force veteran and columnist for a local newspaper in the American state of Georgia. Loudermilk wrote the article as a means of expressing his personal views on patriotism and immigration in post-9/11 America.
The article struck a chord with many readers in the US and elsewhere and it soon spread far and wide via email and other means. At some point, versions adapted to Australia, the UK, and elsewhere began circulating.
The bottom line? Gillard never made the remarks attributed to her in this message. Neither did Rudd. And, despite some elements of truth in the original version, Howard never said the quoted words either. Sending on false and misleading information such as this will help nobody.
Original Source : https://www.hoax-slayer.net/hoax-julia-gillard-tells-muslims-adapt-leave/