Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that his government would not accept or facilitate the return of 34 Australian women and children believed to be linked to Islamic State in Syria.

Speaking to ABC News, Albanese said the government would not take steps to assist their return to Australia.

He said he had no sympathy for the individuals concerned, stating that they had “gone overseas in efforts to undermine and destroy our way of life.”

“As my mother used to say, if you fall by your own hand, you don’t cry,” he added, saying that if any of them managed to return to Australia, they would “face the full force of the law.”

Albanese did not elaborate on any ongoing legal or diplomatic measures regarding the group.