Pauline Hanson makes a sad admission after losing court battle over her ‘go back to Pakistan’ sledge

Pauline Hanson has revealed she has retired from the world after losing a defamation case brought by Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi, but has vowed to challenge the decision on behalf of all Australians.

The One Nation leader was dealt a devastating blow when a judge ruled earlier this month that she had racially defamed Ms Faruqi when she told her to “go back to Pakistan” in a tweet.

The federal court ruled that the tweet was racist, that Senator Hanson had to delete it and that she had to pay Senator Faruqi’s legal costs after she launched the defamation action on September 9, 2022.

The judge ruled that Ms Hanson’s tweet was unlawful under section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act and refused to make an order proposed by Ms Faruqi that the One Nation leader pay $150,000 to a charity or undergo anti-racism training .

However, Ms Hanson will take the case to the Court of Appeal as she wants to make her fight a test case for all Australians.

On Wednesday, Ms Hanson said she was “devastated” after the interview, having previously broken down and claimed Australia was “not the country I grew up in”.

“I actually locked myself up for a few days,” she said Sky News Australia host Chris Kenny.

“I just had to build my strength back up and realize, ‘Okay, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, I can’t go anywhere, I have to fight this.’

Senator Faruqi outside the court after her victory. Senator Hanson was ordered to delete the tweet and pay legal costs. She has raised more than $650,000 for an appeal to date

‘It’s just not about Pauline Hanson anymore. It’s about people’s freedom of expression in this country, that we have the right to have an opinion, and in any way they can, they’re trying to undermine that.”

Ms Hanson, who has raised more than $650,000 to fund her appeal, said she was grateful for the “overwhelming” amount of support she has received since the court ruling.

“The phones in my office never stop ringing, either in my parliamentary office or at the head office in Queensland,” she said.

“The letters and wishes of support and prayers, it’s been so welcome.”

In a damning judgment, Judge Angus Stewart found that Ms Hanson engaged in ‘seriously offensive’ and intimidating behavior with the tweet.

On the day of Queen Elizabeth’s death, Ms Faruqi took to Twitter, now known as X, to express her condolences to those who knew the monarch.

But she added that she could not mourn the death of the leader of a “racist empire built on stolen lives, lands and wealth from colonized peoples.”

Responding, Ms Hanson said she was shocked and disgusted by the comments.

Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi said the tweet caused a “torrent of racist abuse” and caused defamation in the Federal Court.

“When you emigrated to Australia you took advantage of all the advantages of this country,” she wrote.

“It’s clear you’re not happy, so pack your bags and go back to Pakistan.”

Judge Stewart said this message was derogatory and exclusionary.

“It sends a message that Senator Faruqi, as an immigrant, is a second-class citizen, and she should be grateful for what she has and keep her mouth shut,” he said in his Federal Court ruling.

The phrase “go back to where you came from” was a racist, anti-immigrant and nativist trope that traced back to the White Australia Policy, the judge noted.

Migrants and other Muslims would have been offended, offended, humiliated and intimidated by the tweet, he said.

“It’s a strong form of racism,” Judge Stewart said.

He found that for decades, Senator Hanson had a tendency to make negative, derogatory, discriminatory or hateful statements against people of color, immigrants and Muslims.

Judge Stewart rejected the One Nation leader’s claim that she did not know her Greens rival was Muslim at the time of the tweet.

He similarly rejected arguments that the post was a fair comment in a political discussion about the Greens MP’s alleged hypocrisy in criticizing the monarchy while profiting from life in Australia.

But on Wednesday, Ms Hanson repeated her argument that neither Ms Faruqi’s skin color nor her Islamic faith played a role in her position.

“Let me also point out that under the 18th century, religion is not involved, so the fact that she is Muslim has absolutely nothing to do with it,” Ms Hanson said.

“So (the judge) said that because she was from Pakistan, which is a Muslim country, I was actually out to get her.

“I don’t care what the color of someone’s skin is or what religion they are, that has nothing to do with it.”

Ms Hanson also claimed there were many messages from other Australians who were “also offended by her tweet, not me”.