Pauline Hanson hate-speech trial set to open after she told Greens MP to ‘p*** off back to Pakistan’
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson made a hateful tweet against a Greens senator over her decades-long tendency to make similar racist comments, a Federal Court judge expects to hear.
A five-day hate speech trial will begin in the Federal Court on Monday, when Federal Vice-President of the Greens Mehreen Faruqi will allege that Senator Hanson is involved in racial discrimination via a September 2022 tweet.
At the time, Senator Hanson wrote that Senator Faruqi should “pack her bags and go back to Pakistan.”
The tweet came in response to the Greens senator’s comments following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Senator Faruqi wrote that she could not mourn the death of the leader of a “racist empire built on stolen lives, lands and wealth from colonized peoples.”
Senator Mehreen Faruqi will accuse Senator Pauline Hanson of racial discrimination
The lawsuit accuses the head of One Nation of engaging in unlawful, offensive conduct of racial discrimination over the tweet.
Senator Faruqi is seeking $150,000 in damages.
In response, Senator Hanson denied that the social media message was sent because of a person’s race, color, national or ethnic origin.
In March, Judge Angus Stewart rejected an attempt to eliminate a wide range of evidence proposed for the trial by the Greens’ deputy leader.
This included expert reports on racism and the phrase “go back where you came from,” as well as evidence showing Senator Hanson’s tendency to make racist comments for decades.
“(If) she tends to make public statements because of the race, color, or national or ethnic origin of a person or group of people, or to engage in commentary consistent with espousing white supremacist views views, it is more likely that she published the tweet in question for “the purported reason,” Judge Stewart previously wrote.
Both senators are expected to take the witness stand to provide testimony.
Senator Hanson wrote that Senator Faruqi should “pack her bags and go back to Pakistan.”