Australia: Politician Barnaby Joyce shouts at his dog on TV

Politician yells at dog on live broadcast

“In the city they think it’s a war crime”

Australia’s most famous political hooligan is once again causing a stir. This time it’s a dog who turns a TV interview with him into a viral spectacle.

Barnaby Joyce has often caused a stir in the media for his eccentric behavior. Now the well-known Australian politician and former deputy prime minister has hit the headlines again with a strange scene: During a live broadcast on the Australian broadcaster ABC, he suddenly screamed at his dog in front of the camera. The scene went viral on social media.

Joyce, who recently joined the Australian Parliament for the far-right One Nation party, became an ABC presenter Sarah Ferguson asked about the recent escapades of his party leader Pauline Hanson. Hanson met, among others, the British right-wing extremist Tommy Robinson on a trip to Europe – a meeting that took place in… Australia caused outrage. While Ferguson confronted Joyce with critical questions about Hanson’s closeness to Robinson and racist tendencies in the party, Joyce’s eyes kept wandering away.

Suddenly the politician turned his head to the side and shouted loudly: “Sit!” – meaning his dog, which Joyce said was barking under the deck of his house in New South Wales. “Sorry, it’s the dog,” Joyce explained with a laugh, but at the same time dodged the actual question and then turned the conversation to his party’s rising poll numbers.

The four-legged friend apparently didn’t let up – and Joyce digressed again a short time later by turning to his dog. The journalist remained unimpressed: “Forget the dog, answer the question.” Joyce countered irritably: “Don’t be rude. Otherwise the interview will end here.”

The scene immediately became an internet hit. Meme sites, satirical reports and even Pauline Hanson herself spread the clip. Hanson wrote on Facebook: “You’ve got to love live TV from home. Poor Barnaby, the dog is distracting him while the interview is already hostile.”

At the same time, criticism arose. Animal rights activist and parliamentarian Georgie Purcell complained on social networks that Australians don’t talk to their dogs like that. Other commentators, however, suspected that Joyce could have used the moment to avoid tough questions from the journalist.

However, the politician did not apologize – and rejected the criticism. “People in the country laugh about it. In the city they think it’s a war crime,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald about his appearance. The dog loved him the next morning, Joyce said.