SYDNEY(National Times)- A popular far-right Australian politician failed on Monday to overturn a racial vilification finding that was handed down after she told a Muslim senator to go back to Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senator Pauline Hanson has emerged as one of Australia\u2019s most popular politicians, wooing voters with calls for strict immigration curbs, mass deportations of \u201cillegal migrants\u201d and enhanced free speech protections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hanson took aim at Pakistan-born Australian lawmaker Mehreen Faruqi in 2022 over comments made in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Faruqi, a left-leaning Greens senator, said she could not mourn the \u201cleader of a racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonised people\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hanson replied on social media: \u201cWhen you immigrated to Australia you took every advantage of this country. You took citizenship, bought multiple homes, and a job in a parliament. It\u2019s clear you\u2019re not happy, so pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Federal Court of Australia found in 2024, in response to a complaint from Faruqi, that Hanson\u2019s comments amounted to a \u201cstrong form of racism\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The judge found Hanson\u2019s post breached Australia\u2019s laws against racial discrimination as it was reasonably likely to offend, insult, humiliate and intimidate Faruqi, as well as Muslim Australians and people of colour who had migrated to the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hanson appealed the decision, arguing she did not breach the law and the law was in any case constitutionally invalid. Her appeal was dismissed on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was incensed by the incredible disrespect that I felt was shown to our late Queen on the day of her death by Senator Faruqi and others,\u201d she said after the court\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI simply wanted to call that out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For years a political outsider, Hanson\u2019s One Nation has surged this year to become one of the country\u2019s most popular parties, according to opinion polls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hanson has pledged sweeping cuts to government spending \u2014 akin to Elon Musk\u2019s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the United States \u2014 and has urged Australia to rethink its membership of international organisations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SYDNEY(National Times)- A popular far-right Australian politician failed on Monday to overturn a racial vilification finding that was handed down after she told a Muslim senator to go back to Pakistan. Senator Pauline Hanson has emerged as one of Australia\u2019s most popular politicians, wooing voters with calls for strict immigration curbs, mass deportations of \u201cillegal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n