Australian far-right Senator Pauline Hanson drew sharp criticism on Monday after entering Parliament wearing a burqa as part of her latest push to ban the face-covering Muslim garment in public. The stunt prompted accusations of racism from Muslim lawmakers and led to the suspension of the Senate.
Hanson appeared in the chamber shortly after being denied permission to introduce a bill to outlaw burqas and other full-face coverings in public. Senate leaders from both major parties, Penny Wong of the governing Labor Party and Anne Ruston of the opposition coalition, sharply condemned the act, calling it inappropriate and unworthy of a senator.
The chamber erupted in anger as Hanson walked in, and proceedings were halted when she declined to take off the garment.
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi denounced the action as “blatant racism,” while independent senator Fatima Payman labelled it “disgraceful.”
In a later Facebook statement, Hanson defended her actions as a protest against the Senate’s refusal to consider her bill, arguing that the burqa posed national security risks and symbolised the oppression of women.
“If they don’t want me wearing it — ban the burqa,” she wrote.
Hanson, a Queensland senator and leader of the right-wing One Nation party, has long campaigned against Islamic clothing. She previously wore a burqa in Parliament in 2017 during another attempt to push for a nationwide ban.
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