One national leader, Pauline Hanson, told a Sydney court she didn’t know a fellow senator was Muslim when he told her to be “mad at Pakistan” on social media.
Green Party deputy leader Mehreen Faruqui has sued Senator Hanson in Federal Court over tweets posted on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022.
Sen. Faruqui called for an agreement with indigenous peoples, saying he could not mourn the “leaders of racist empires built by stealing the lives, lands, and wealth of colonized peoples.”
Sen. Hanson responded with a post that said in part that it was clear that Sen. Faruqui was “not happy” and that he should “pack his bags and go back to Pakistan angrily.”
The Green Party’s deputy leader claims this amounts to racism, while Hanson’s lawyers claim Faruqui’s tweet was intended to provoke a reaction.
“That never crossed my mind.”
Sen. Hanson was cross-examined today by Sen. Faruqui’s attorney, Saul Holt KC, and accused him of lying under oath by denying that he knew Sen. Faruqui was Muslim at the time of the tweet. condemned Senator Hanson.
“I’ve never gone and asked. I’ve never asked anyone about their religion,” Sen. Hanson said.
Sen. Hanson said he also did not know that 97 percent of Pakistan’s population is Muslim.
Mr Holt pressed the politician about the contents of an affidavit he swore in January.
“If it’s true that she didn’t know she was Muslim, why didn’t she say that in her affidavit?” he asked.
“I never thought of that,” the senator replied.
Holt later said, “Senator Hanson, you are lying under oath in this courtroom in claiming that you did not know that Senator Faruqui was a Muslim, right?”
“I didn’t know when I tweeted,” she claimed.
Holt said Sen. Hanson has expressed his views on immigration, including a 2010 interview in which he said he wouldn’t sell homes to Muslims and a 2017 press conference in which he described Islam as a “disease.” Played various videos. .
Senator Hanson rejected the idea that Senator Faruqui was a Muslim and should never have been allowed to immigrate to Australia. Because “she is not an extremist” and she has Australian citizenship.
“It’s a completely different story from the tweet she posted on the day the Queen died… you were already trying to piss her off and go back to Pakistan,” Holt said.
Sen. Hanson responded, “I disagree.”
Senator Hanson was then asked if he had ever suggested that white immigrants should leave Australia.
“I guess so,” she replied.
The senator said he was “distraught and very upset” on the day of the queen’s death.
She said Senator Faruqui’s tweet, which was brought to her attention by staff, was offensive.
“Pretty strong racism.”
Earlier, Deakin University academic Yin Paradis, who specializes in race relations, was cross-examined by Sue Chrysantou SC, representing Senator Hanson, about her report on the possible impact of the tweet. received.
He said there was “no basis” to conclude that the tweet was likely to have a negative impact on readers who shared any or all of the list of group attributes, such as immigrants or people of Australian-born immigrant descent. I did not agree with that point.
“Given the literature and evidence to date, that form of racism applied to people with at least one of these group attributes is likely to have a compensatory negative impact on someone,” Professor Paradies said. said.
“It’s a pretty strong form of racism. It’s very exclusive, and certain parts of the tweet really dictate who belongs and who doesn’t.”
Ms Chrysantou read out tweets about colonization posted on Australia Day in 2022 and 2023, and asked questions about the academic’s own online activities.
Professor Paradis disagreed that his views influenced his approach in answering questions about Senator Hanson’s conduct.
The hearing will continue tomorrow.
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