Mon Nov 24 10:16:17 UTC 2025: Summary:
Australian far-right Senator Pauline Hanson sparked outrage by wearing a burqa in parliament as a stunt to promote her long-standing campaign to ban the garment in public. The act was widely condemned as racist and Islamophobic, leading to a suspension of Senate proceedings. This is not the first time Hanson has used the burqa as a prop to advocate for a ban.
News Article:
Australian Senator Sparks Outrage with Burqa Stunt in Parliament
Canberra, Australia – Senator Pauline Hanson, leader of the far-right One Nation party, ignited a firestorm of criticism on Monday after wearing a burqa into the Australian Senate chamber. The move was a deliberate act to protest the rejection of her proposed bill to ban the traditional Muslim garment and other face coverings in public.
The stunt was met with immediate condemnation from fellow lawmakers, who labeled it as racist and Islamophobic. Senator Mehreen Faruqi, the first Muslim elected to the Australian upper chamber, described Hanson’s actions as “blatant racism.” Independent Senator Fatima Payman called the stunt “disgraceful” and accused Hanson of disrespecting Muslim Australians.
Senate proceedings were briefly suspended after Hanson refused to remove the garment. The leader of the Labor government in the Senate, Penny Wong, denounced the act as “not worthy of a member of the Australian Senate.”
Hanson, known for her anti-immigration stance, has been a vocal advocate for banning the burqa for years, citing security concerns and the alleged mistreatment of women. This marks the second time she has used the garment as a prop in parliament to further her agenda. While her party has gained traction in recent elections, her latest stunt has drawn widespread condemnation and reignited the debate over the place of religious garments in Australian society.
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