MELBOURNE
A sports presenter has been sacked after refusing to take down a series of tweets about ANZAC Day described as deeply "offensive" by Australia's communications minister.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that SBS presenter Scott McIntyre had referred to Australians marking the day as "poorly-read, largely white, nationalist drinkers and gamblers."
"Remembering the summary execution, widespread rape and theft committed by these 'brave' Anzacs in Egypt, Palestine and Japan," he added.
"Not forgetting that the largest single-day terrorist attacks in history were committed by this nation & their allies in Hiroshima & Nagasaki."
On Monday, the director of sport at McIntyre's employer SBS said that he had been sacked for disobeying an order to delete the posts, which had been openly criticized by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Turnbull tweeted it was "Difficult to think of more offensive or inappropriate comments."
McIntryre's comments to his 30,000 followers were "'despicable' and deserve to be condemned," he added.
On Sunday, SBS managing director Michael Ebeid and director of sport Ken Shipp said in a statement that SBS had taken the decisive action to terminate McIntyre's position "with immediate effect."
It added that the channel supported "our Anzacs" and has devoted unprecedented resources to cover the 100th anniversary of landings at Canakkale in Turkey.
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, many of whom fought in the 1915 Battle of Canakkale -- known as Gallipoli in Australia.
The ANZAC legend is central to the Australian identity.
