Australian Senator Pauline Hanson Sparks Uproar By Wearing Burqa In Parliament

Australian far-right Senator Pauline Hanson reignited a long-running political battle over Islamic clothing on Monday by entering the Senate chamber wearing a burqa, prompting an immediate uproar and suspension of proceedings.

According to Reuters, Ms Hanson appeared in the full-body garment shortly after she was denied permission to introduce a Bill seeking a nationwide ban on burqas and other full-face coverings in public places across Australia. It marked the second time she has used the garment inside Parliament as part of her campaign, having staged a similar act in 2017.

The chamber erupted as she walked in, with senators objecting loudly and calling on her to remove the burqa. Proceedings were suspended when she refused to take it off. According to Reuters, Muslim senators accused Ms Hanson of using Parliament to promote racism. “This is a racist Senator, displaying blatant racism,” said Mehreen Faruqi, a Greens Senator from New South Wales. Fatima Payman, an independent Senator from Western Australia, called the move “disgraceful”.

Leaders from both sides of the aisle condemned the display. Penny Wong, who leads the Labour government in the Senate, said the act was “not worthy of a member of the Australian Senate” and moved a motion to suspend Ms Hanson over her refusal to comply. Anne Ruston, Deputy Senate leader for the Opposition coalition, also criticised the stunt. After Ms Hanson again declined to leave, the Senate suspended its sitting, Reuters reported.

Ms Hanson, a Queensland Senator who first gained national attention in the 1990s for her hard-line positions on immigration from Asia and on asylum seekers, has maintained long-standing opposition to Islamic clothing. Her One Nation party holds four Senate seats, gaining two in May’s General Election amid rising support for far-right, anti-immigration policies.

In a statement posted on Facebook later in the day, Ms Hanson said her actions were a direct response to the Senate’s refusal to consider her proposed legislation. “So if the Parliament won’t ban it, I will display this oppressive, radical, non-religious head garb that risks our national security and the ill-treatment of women on the floor of our Parliament so that every Australian knows what’s at stake,” she wrote. “If they don’t want me wearing it – ban the burqa.”

(With inputs from Reuters)