Right-wing Australian politician condemned after wearing burqa in parliament

Pauline Hanson walking across the Senate chamber in the Australian Parliament. Credit: Australian Parliament

A controversial right-wing politician in Australia has caused an uproar after she wore a burqa during a parliamentary session in protest against the Islamic head covering.

Pauline Hanson, the leader of the small far-right One Nation Party in Australia, did the stunt after she failed to trigger a vote on her bill that would ban the face covering.

After failing to get the vote, she briefly left the chamber only to return wearing the burqa on top of her clothes, which cut off above the knee.

Pauline Hanson wearing a burqa in the Senate chamber in 2017. Credit: AP

The 71-year-old politician has spent decades trying to ban burqas in Australia and carried out a similar stunt in 2017.

Her appearance was met with fury in the chamber, with two Muslim senators accusing Hanson of being racist.

Green senator Mehreen Faruqi said in the chamber: “A dress code might be a choice of the senators, but racism should not be the choice of the Senate. This is a racist senator, displaying blatant racism and Islamophobia."

Senate President Sue Lines then arrived in the chamber and ordered Senator Hanson to leave for being disrespectful, citing a previous ruling that using religious dress as a prop was disrespectful to the parliament.

Pauline Hanson has been a vocal critic of Islam in Australia for decades. Credit: AP

Hanson refused to remove the dress, leading to the Senate passing a motion to suspend her.

She continued to protest, leading to the session being suspended.

Independent senator Fatima Payman, who wears a hijab, said: "She is disrespecting a faith, she is disrespecting the Muslims out there, Muslim Australians.

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"It's absolutely unconstitutional. This needs to be dealt with immediately before we proceed."

In a social media post after the end of the senate session, Hanson said: "Despite the ban in 24 countries across the world (including Islamic countries), the hypocrites in our parliament have rejected my Bill."

She said she would continue to wear the burqa as part of her campaign, adding: "If they don't want me wearing it - ban the burqa."

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