Senator faces suspension over burka stunt in Australian parliament
The Queensland senator from the anti-immigration One Nation party was censured on Monday following the stunt, with fellow lawmakers condemning her actions. One colleague described it as "blatant racism." Hanson was attempting to introduce a bill to outlaw full-face coverings in public, a policy she has long advocated.
This marks the second time Hanson has worn a burka in parliament. She donned the garment after her bill was blocked by other senators, returning in a black burka in protest.
"This is a racist senator, displaying blatant racism," said Mehreen Faruqi, a Muslim Greens senator whom the Federal Court found was a victim of racial discrimination by Hanson—a ruling Hanson is currently appealing. Independent Senator Fatima Payman described the stunt as "disgraceful."
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who leads the government in the senate, moved a motion to censure Hanson, stating she "has been parading prejudice as protest for decades."
The motion, which passed 55 votes to five, noted that Hanson's actions were "intended to vilify and mock people on the basis of their religion" and were "disrespectful to Muslim Australians."
Wong argued that Hanson was "not worthy of a member of the Australian senate."
In a Facebook post, Hanson responded, "If they don't want me wearing it - ban the burka." She had previously worn a burka in parliament in 2017 while calling for a national ban.
Hanson’s controversial history includes a 2016 maiden speech warning that Australia was at risk of being "swamped by Muslims," echoing her 1996 first speech to the House of Representatives, which cautioned that the country was at risk of being "swamped by Asians."
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