Australian far-right senator sparks outrage by wearing burqa in parliament

SYDNEY: Australian far-right Senator Pauline Hanson sparked uproar in the upper house on Monday after she entered the chamber wearing a burqa in a renewed push to ban full-face coverings in public.

Hanson appeared in the chamber moments after she was denied permission to table a bill seeking a nationwide ban on burqas and other full-face veils. The stunt marked the second time she has used the garment in parliament to press her long-standing campaign against Islamic clothing.

The Senate reacted angrily as Hanson walked in wearing the black burqa, prompting calls for her removal. Proceedings were suspended after she refused to take it off.

“This is a racist senator, displaying blatant racism,” said Mehreen Faruqi, a Greens senator from New South Wales.

Independent Senator Fatima Payman of Western Australia also condemned the act, terming it “disgraceful”.

Government Senate leader Penny Wong and opposition deputy Senate leader Anne Ruston both criticised Hanson’s actions. Wong said the move was “not worthy of a member of the Australian Senate” and moved a motion to suspend Hanson for refusing to remove the garment. With Hanson declining to leave, the session was suspended.

Hanson, who represents Queensland, rose to prominence in the 1990s with strong anti-immigration views and opposition to asylum seekers. She has repeatedly campaigned against Islamic dress during her parliamentary career and previously wore a burqa to parliament in 2017 while calling for a national ban.

Her One Nation party holds four seats in the Senate, gaining two in May’s general election amid growing support for far-right, anti-immigration policies.

In a statement later posted on Facebook, Hanson said she wore the garment in protest against the Senate’s refusal to consider her bill.

“If 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 so every Australian knows what’s at stake,” she wrote. “If they don’t want me wearing it — ban the burqa.”