Artist says he was arrested while painting mural of firefighter who abused Australian PM

With Australia still being plagued by raging wildfires, video of an angry firefighter telling Australian PM Scott Morrison to get f****d has become a popular part of the ongoing crisis. According to reports, the image of the firefighter, Paul Parker, had been painted as a mural by Van Nishing in the city of Melbourne. Nishing said that he was taken into custody by authorities while he was trying to complete the mural.

'I was taken into custody in front of my children'

According to reports, the artist also goes by the name of Van T Rudd and is also former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's nephew. Nishing said that he was handcuffed and taken into custody in front of his children. He also said that he was charged for criminally damaging the wall in Melbourne. Nishing went on to say that the police officers also threatened to call the Department of Human Services (DHS) to take away his kids so that he could be whisked away to the police station.

Van Nishing said that after the police officers had gone through his belongings, car and had talked to his children, he was able to give clarification about the permission he had taken to paint Paul Parker's picture. He said that the cops eventually backed off with a lot of reluctance and dropped the charges, adding that he was still receiving orders to come to court.

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Firefighter stops media to convey message

A visibly frustrated firefighter from New South Wales (NSW) used expletives for Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison as the deadly bushfires ravaging the country. Paul Parker, a resident of Nelligen, noticed reporters and stopped asked if they were from media. Parker told an Australian news channel to tell the Prime Minister to and “get f****d from Nelligen”.

Morrison, who has been accused of inaction, announced the establishment of a national bushfire recovery fund with an initial $2 billion. The fund will be used to coordinate a national response to rebuild communities and livelihoods in the aftermath of a catastrophic bushfire. Morrison said that the initial fund is to ensure support to families, farmers and business owners hit by bushfires.

“It’s a long road ahead and we will be with these communities every step of the way as they rebuild,” said Morrison.

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(With inputs from agencies)