Australian Senator Suspended After Racist Burka Stunt in Parliament

Australian Senator Pauline Hanson has been suspended for one week after walking into parliament wearing a burka in what many lawmakers condemned as a racist and provocative act.

Hanson, known for her long history of anti-immigration and anti-Muslim rhetoric, wore the garment to protest the senate’s refusal to introduce her bill banning face coverings in public. When the bill was blocked, she returned to the chamber dressed in a black burka, sparking immediate backlash.

Muslim Senator Mehreen Faruqi called the stunt “blatant racism”, while independent Senator Fatima Payman described it as “disgraceful”. Government Senate Leader Penny Wong moved a censure motion, accusing Hanson of “parading prejudice as protest for decades.”

The motion passed 55–5, stating that Hanson’s actions were intended to mock and vilify Muslim Australians.

This is not the first time Hanson has used such tactics. She wore a burka in parliament in 2017 and has a long record of inflammatory statements, including past claims that Australia was being “swamped by Muslims” and earlier “swamped by Asians.”

Following the suspension, Hanson wrote on Facebook: “If they don’t want me wearing it – ban the burka".