Pauline Hanson will soon learn whether it is legally racist to tell a Muslim senator to pack his bags and go back to Pakistan.
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi launched legal action against the One Nation leader over alleged racial discrimination over a September 2022 post on Twitter, now X, telling her to ‘return to Pakistan’.
The alleged hate speech was in response to a message from Senator Faruqi on the day Queen Elizabeth died.
The Greens deputy leader wrote that she could not mourn the death of the leader of a “racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth from colonized peoples.”
The case was tried over four days by Judge Angus Stewart at the Federal Court.
Senator Hanson claimed she did not know Senator Faruqi was Muslim when she sent the tweet.
But Senator Faruqi produced reams of material showing that she publicly identified as Muslim on several occasions, including in communications with the head of One Nation.
This includes a pinned tweet in which Senator Faruqi said, “I am Muslim” and a podcast on which Senator Hanson appeared as a guest, with the host identifying her as Muslim.
Pauline Hanson (pictured) claimed she did not know Mehreen Faruqi was Muslim when she sent the tweet
Senator Faruqi also tagged Senator Hanson in a 2018 tweet asking, “I’m curious. @PaulineHansonOz am I a good Muslim or a bad one?’
Senator Hanson denied that she engaged in racial discrimination by sending the tweet.
Instead, she claimed to have participated in political discourse by pointing out the Greens delegate’s hypocrisy in criticizing the monarchy while profiting from immigration to and living in Australia.
Judge Stewart will announce his findings on Friday.
The court will determine whether Senator Hanson engaged in racial discrimination, identify any harm resulting therefrom, and take a position on her argument that portions of the Racial Discrimination Act are unconstitutional.
Pauline Hanson claimed she did not know Senator Faruqi (pictured) was Muslim when she sent the tweet