Australia senator suspended after wearing burka in parliament during protest

Australian politician Pauline Hanson has been suspended from parliament for a week after she entered the Senate wearing a burka in an attempt to push forward her long-standing campaign to ban full-face coverings in public.

Hanson, leader of the anti-immigration One Nation Party, wore the Islamic garment on Monday after lawmakers blocked her proposed bill seeking to prohibit facial coverings in public spaces. The act, which she described as a protest, marks the second time she has worn a burka in parliament — the first being in 2017 during a similar campaign.

Her move was met with immediate and strong condemnation from fellow senators. Muslim Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi labelled the act “blatant racism,” recalling that the Federal Court had previously ruled Hanson had racially discriminated against her — a decision Hanson is currently appealing. Independent senator Fatima Payman also denounced the act, calling it “disgraceful.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong led a motion in the Senate to censure Hanson, stating that the stunt was designed to vilify Muslim Australians rather than encourage debate. The motion passed overwhelmingly, 55 votes to five. Wong argued Hanson’s actions reflected a pattern of prejudice, saying the senator was “not worthy of a member of the Australian Senate.”

In a social media post responding to backlash, Hanson wrote, “If they don’t want me wearing it – ban the burka.”

Hanson has a history of controversial statements on immigration and cultural diversity. In her maiden Senate speech in 2016, she warned that Australia risked being “swamped by Muslims,” echoing remarks she made two decades earlier claiming the nation was at risk of being “swamped by Asians.”