Who is Pauline Hanson? Australian far-right politician sparks uproar with burqa stunt in parliament - Watch
Far-right Senator Pauline Hanson wore a burqa in Parliament to advocate for a public ban on the garment, facing accusations of racism from Muslim senators
Australian far-right Senator Pauline Hanson on Monday donned a burqa in Parliament as a political statement aimed at advocating for a ban on the Muslim garment in public. Her act has drew accusations of racism from Muslim senators.
Hanson's decision to wear the burqa came shortly after she was refused permission to present a bill that sought to prohibit burqas and other full-face coverings in public spaces across Australia.
This marked the second occasion on which Hanson utilized the head garment, which is worn by Muslim women, in Parliament as part of her campaign to prohibit the public display of burqas.
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Pauline Hanson sparks outrage over ‘disgraceful’ act
The Senate was filled with outrage when Hanson entered the chamber clad in a burqa, leading to a suspension of proceedings when she declined to take it off.
{{/usCountry}}The Senate was filled with outrage when Hanson entered the chamber clad in a burqa, leading to a suspension of proceedings when she declined to take it off.
{{/usCountry}}“A dress code might be a choice of the senators, but racism should not be the choice of the Senate. This is a racist senator, displaying blatant racism and Islamophobia,” stated Muslim Mehreen Faruqi, a Greens senator representing New South Walesm Reuters reported.
{{/usCountry}}“A dress code might be a choice of the senators, but racism should not be the choice of the Senate. This is a racist senator, displaying blatant racism and Islamophobia,” stated Muslim Mehreen Faruqi, a Greens senator representing New South Walesm Reuters reported.
{{/usCountry}}Muslim Fatima Payman, an independent senator from Western Australia, described the act as “disgraceful”.
{{/usCountry}}Muslim Fatima Payman, an independent senator from Western Australia, described the act as “disgraceful”.
{{/usCountry}}Both Penny Wong, the leader of Australia’s centre-left Labor government in the Senate, and Anne Ruston, the deputy Senate leader for the opposition coalition, denounced Hanson's behavior.
{{/usCountry}}Both Penny Wong, the leader of Australia’s centre-left Labor government in the Senate, and Anne Ruston, the deputy Senate leader for the opposition coalition, denounced Hanson's behavior.
{{/usCountry}}Pauline Hanson's 2017 stunt
{{/usCountry}}Pauline Hanson's 2017 stunt
{{/usCountry}}It was the second occasion on which Hanson had utilized a burqa as a prop in parliament to advocate for her long-standing effort to prohibit the garment from being worn in public. She had previously worn the garment in 2017.
The senator representing Queensland first gained attention in the 1990s due to her vehement opposition to immigration from Asia and to asylum seekers.
Her One Nation party currently holds four seats in the Senate, having increased its representation in the chamber during May’s general election, with growing support for its far-right agenda.
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Pauline Hanson issues statement after burqa stunt
In a statement shared on Facebook after the events of Monday, Hanson declared that her actions were a protest against the Senate's rejection of her proposed bill.
She claimed that she had donned the “oppressive” garment to draw attention to the mistreatment of women and the threat it posed to national security
