This is the second time Pauline Hanson has used the headdress worn by some Muslim women in parliament, calling for a ban on the burqa in public places.
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- “This is a racist senator displaying blatant racism,” said Australian Senator Mehreen Faruqui.
- Senator Fatima Payman called Mr Hanson’s stunt “disgraceful”.
- The Australian Senate hearing was suspended after Mr Hanson refused to remove his burqa.
SYDNEY, Australia – Australia’s far-right senator Pauline Hanson wore a burqa in parliament as a political prop to call for a ban on Muslim clothing in public, a stunt that sparked accusations of racism from Muslim senators.
Ms Hanson donned the burqa on November 24, shortly after a bill to ban burqas and other face coverings in public places in Australia was rejected.
It was the second time Mr Hanson used the headdress worn by some Muslim women in Parliament to ban the public wearing of the burqa.
When Mr Hanson entered the chamber wearing a burqa, the Senate erupted in anger, and proceedings were suspended after Mr Hanson refused to remove his burqa.
“This is a racist senator displaying blatant racism,” said Mehreen Faruqui, a Muslim Green Party senator from New South Wales.
Western Australian independent senator Fatima Payman, a Muslim, called the move “disgraceful”.
Penny Wong, leader of Australia’s centre-left Labor Party’s upper house, and Anne Ruston, deputy leader of the opposition coalition, both condemned Hanson’s actions.
Mr Wong called them “unfit to be members of the Australian Senate” and lodged a motion to suspend Mr Hanson for failing to remove his clothing. Senate proceedings were suspended after Hanson refused to leave.
Mr Hanson, a senator from Queensland, first came to prominence in the 1990s for his staunch opposition to Asian migrants and asylum seekers, and has long campaigned against Islamic clothing throughout his parliamentary career.
She wore a burqa to parliament in 2017, when she also called for a nationwide ban.
Hanson’s One Nation party has four seats in the Senate and won two seats in May’s general election amid growing support for far-right anti-immigration policies.
Hanson later said in a statement posted on Facebook that his actions were in protest of the Senate’s rejection of his proposed bill.
“So if Parliament does not ban it, we will display this oppressive, extremist and secular headdress that endangers national security and the abuse of women in this chamber to let all Australians know what is at stake,” Mr Hanson said in a statement.
“If you don’t want me to wear a burqa, ban the burqa.”
