DUBAI: A far-right politician attended Australia’s Parliament dressed in a burqa as part of a protest against the garment, but instead was berated by fellow senators who said she was mocking a whole section of the country’s population.
Members of the Parliament could be heard voicing their surprise when the leader of the right wing One Nation party, Pauline Hanson, arrived wearing the black burqa and proceeded to sit down.
She eventually removed the garment after approximately 10 minutes and said she wanted it banned on security grounds.
But Attorney-General George Brandis denounced her actions and was quick to respond to her call, stating that the Coalition Government would not be banning the burqa – a statement that was received by cheers of approval from other politicians.
“Senator Hanson, I’m not going to pretend to ignore the stunt that you have tried to pull today by arriving in the chamber dressed in a burqa when we all know you are not an adherent of the Islamic faith,” Brandis said.
“I would caution you and counsel you, Senator Hanson, with respect, to be very very careful of the offense you may do to the religious sensibilities of other Australians… To ridicule that community, to drive it into a corner, to mock its religious garments, is an appalling thing to do and I would ask you to reflect on your behavior.”
Brandis went on to add that the intelligence agencies had already said it was more beneficial to build ties with the Muslim community rather than create divisions.
But Hanson seemed unfazed by the response to her stunt, repeating her previous claim that the burqa was a threat to security, as well as being oppressive and she said the government’s refusal to ban the burqa showed it was not listening to the people.