Australian senator suspended after Islamophobic stunt involving burka sparks outrage

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - Australian lawmaker Pauline Hanson was suspended from the Senate on Tuesday after an Islamophobic stunt that leaders said “mocked and vilified” an entire faith.

Hanson was censured and suspended for seven sitting days, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Foreign Minister and Senate leader Penny Wong said Hanson’s behavior was “disrespectful” to both the Muslim community and the Senate as an institution.

The incident occurred Monday, when Hanson entered the chamber wearing a burka and refused to leave. She said the act was part of an effort to introduce a bill banning the attire. She was penalized and barred from the chamber for the rest of the day.

Hanson has used similar tactics before. In 2017, she wore a face covering during a previous push by her One Nation party to outlaw certain religious garments.

Independent Senator Fatima Payman, the first woman to wear a hijab in Australia’s parliament, condemned the act as “abhorrent and disrespectful to the chamber and the public.”