Australian Senator Pauline Hanson Barred from Parliament for Wearing Burqa in Protest
An Australian senator campaigning for a national burqa ban faced severe repercussions for her actions on the Senate floor. Here are the key details surrounding this contentious incident:
– Pauline Hanson, leader of the anti-Muslim, anti-immigration One Nation party, was barred from Parliament for the remainder of the year after wearing a burqa in protest. This occurred during a Senate session in Canberra.
– The 71-year-old senator walked into the chamber draped in the head-to-ankle garment to express her frustration over fellow senators dismissing her bill to ban the burqa and similar full-face coverings in public.
– Initially suspended for one day, senators later passed a censure motion, imposing one of the harshest penalties in recent decades, prohibiting her from attending seven consecutive Senate sittings. This suspension extends until Parliament resumes in February next year.
– Hanson defended her actions, stating she believes she has the right to wear the burqa in Parliament. There is no dress code on the floor of Parliament, she argued, deeming the ban hypocritical.
– The government leader in the Senate, Penny Wong, condemned Hanson’s actions, claiming they mocked an entire faith adhered to by nearly 1 million Australians. Wong remarked that Hanson’s actions undermine social cohesion and target vulnerable communities.
– Senator Mehreen Faruqi, one of the few Muslims in the Senate, emphasized the need to address systemic racism in Australia, while Fatima Payman, who wears a hijab, labelled Hanson’s show as disgraceful.
– This incident isn’t Hanson’s first protest involving the burqa; a similar demonstration in 2017 did not result in punishment.
Hanson’s appeal to voters at the next election presents a stark contrast to the backlash from her peers, highlighting the ongoing divide in Australian politics regarding issues of race and immigration.