Former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has sparked outrage for posing with Kim Jong-Un and Vladimir Putin at a Chinese military parade.
According to The Guardian, Andrews attended the largest-ever military parade of China on Wednesday, September 3, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII and Japan’s defeat.
Besides the former Victorian Labor premier, more than a dozen other global leaders and heads of state, including Russian President Putin and North Korean dictator Kim, attended the parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
Following the celebrations and China’s display of its new and advanced military weapons and hardware, the world leaders stand together for a group photo, which sparked outrage in Victoria, whose opposition criticised the former prime minister for posing alongside Putin and Kim.
Andrews stood several rows behind Kim, who is criticised for his human rights violations allegations in the photo with the leaders from the informal "axis of upheaval" group.
Meanwhile, leaders of North Korea and Russia are standing in the front row beside Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan.
Furthermore, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs Andrew Hastie called the celebrations a “parade of dictators” and “celebration of the Chinese Communist Party” and criticised Andrews’ attendance.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley asked for an explanation for Andrews' presence in the military parade with authoritarian leaders.
It is worth noting that former NSW Labor premier and federal foreign affairs minister Bob Carr is also in Beijing, but he opted not to attend the military parade due to his busy schedule.
