Australian Senator Pauline Hanson hit with suspension over her “disrespectful” burqa stunt in the parliament.
The Australian Senate on Tuesday, November 25, suspended Hanson from the Parliament for seven days, and she will not be allowed to represent Parliament in overseas trips after she walked into the Senate wearing a burqa (a Muslim garment), The Guardian reported.
The 71-year-old senator, who is campaigning for a national burqa ban, entered into Parliament covering herself from head to toe in a black garment to protest against senators’ refusal to vote on her bill to ban the burqa and other full-face coverings in public places.
Hanson’s stunt sparked widespread backlash and a motion against her that states her actions were “intended to vilify and mock people on the basis of their religion” and were “disrespectful to Muslim Australians.”
The Senate voted 55-5 to censure Hanson while condemning her actions.
Hanson told reporters, “They didn’t want to ban the burqa, yet they denied me the right to wear it on the floor of Parliament. There is no dress code on the floor of Parliament, yet I’m not allowed to wear it. So to me, it’s been hypocritical.”
It is worth noting that the parliament will be closed until February next year after Thursday’s session, which means that Hanson will not be able to return to the forum this year.
