Pauline Hanson made a racist comment when she told a Muslim senator to pack her bags and go back to Pakistan, a judge has heard.
Friday’s ruling marks a victory for Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi in a Federal Court case against the One Nation leader.
Judge Angus Stewart found Senator Hanson engaged in “seriously offensive” and harassing behavior over the September 2022 social media post in breach of the Racial Discrimination Act.
The post was racist, nativist and anti-Muslim, the judge said.
The proceedings involved a post on Twitter by Senator Hanson, now known as
“It’s a strong form of racism,” Judge Stewart said Friday.
The message 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.”
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson (pictured) made a racist comment when she told a Muslim senator to pack her bags and go back to Pakistan, a Federal Court judge has found.
Friday’s ruling marks a victory for Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi (pictured arriving at court in April) in a Federal Court case against the One Nation leader
Senator Hanson’s claim that she did not know her Greens rival was Muslim when she sent the tweet was rejected by the court.
Similarly, her argument that she was merely wading into a political debate by pointing out the Greens MP’s hypocrisy in criticizing the monarchy while benefiting from moving to and living in Australia was also shot down.
“Her tweet was an angry personal attack on Senator Faruqi,” Judge Stewart said.
Senator Hanson has been ordered to delete the tweet within seven days and pay the Greens deputy leader’s legal costs for pursuing the lawsuit.
The judge has not made an order proposed by Senator Faruqi that the One Nation leader must pay compensation to charity.