Dominit Perrottet. Source : NSW Department of Customer Service, posted to Wikimedia Commons
NSW premier Dominic Perrottet has faced the press after it was revealed that he wore a Nazi costume on his 21st birthday.
Earlier in the week, the revelation surfaced and Mr Perrottet issued a formal, and public apology for the act.
Mr Perrottet attended a press conferences alongside Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Customer Service and Digital Government Minister Victor Dominello.
The press who were present at the conference asked questions about whether other current politicians were present at Mr Perrottet’s 21st birthday, prompting Mr Perrottet to respond.
“It is not about other people.” Mr Perrottet said.
“No one was involved.
“I was involved.
“It was me.
“I made a terrible mistake.” He said.
Mr Perrottet later said he was not aware of any photo taken of him that night.
The Jewish community within NSW and Australia have reacted to the revelation, with Sydney Jewish Museum manager of student learning and research Breann Fallon commenting on how the community has responded.
“There is a sense of worry about what kind of world we are creating.” Ms Fallon said to the ABC.
“[A holocaust survivor who rang in] was mostly concerned about how future generations would take this…and conveying that it is not a past issue, it’s a present and future issue.
“That uniform is not just an inanimate object.
“It is a symbol of hatred and bigotry, of genocide and discrimination, and it will bring back all those memories.” She said.
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Darren Bark said the community was deeply hurt.
“We’ve had members of this community in tears over this particular incident.”
Mr Perrottet is among many global public and political figures to don an insensitive and offensive costume in the past.
Others who have done similar include Prince Harry, who famously wore a Nazi costume to a party, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was pulled up for wearing blackface at a West Point Grey Academy party in 2019.
