Pauline Hanson investigated after One Nation leader tweet about Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi
Pauline Hanson is officially under investigation by the Australian Human Rights Commission for telling Greens senator to ‘p*** off back to Pakistan’
- Pauline Hanson probed by Australian Human Rights Commission over tweet
- Ms Hanson had told Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi to ‘p**s off’ back to Pakistan
- Greens leader Adam Bandt labelled the inflammatory tweet as ‘despicable’
Pauline Hanson is being investigated over a tweet after telling Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi to ‘p**s off back to Pakistan‘.
The One Nation leader has been accused of racism after telling Ms Faruqi to return to her native country in the social media post made in September.
Ms Faruqi announced on Friday that she has referred the tweet to the Australian Human Rights Commission.
The dispute between the two senators kicked off after Ms Hanson replied to Ms Faruqi’s post on Twitter criticising the monarchy in the wake of The Queen‘s death.
Pauline Hanson is being investigated over a tweet after telling Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi to ‘p**s off back to Pakistan’
The One Nation leader has been accused of racism after telling Ms Faruqi to return to her native country in the social media post made in September
‘I cannot mourn the leader of a racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonised peoples,’ Ms Faruqi tweeted on September 9.
‘We are reminded of the urgency of treaty with First Nations, justice and reparations for British colonies, and becoming a republic.’
Ms Hanson then launched her scathing attack on Ms Faruqi.
‘Your attitude appalls and disgusts me. When you immigrated to Australia you took every advantage of this country,’ she wrote.
‘You took citizenship, bought multiple homes and a job in parliament. It’s clear you’re not happy, so pack your bags and p**s off back to Pakistan’.
Ms Hanson later doubled down on her attack offering to take Ms Faruqi ‘to the airport’.
The Greens have branded the comments as ‘racist’ and ‘appalling’, with Ms Faruqi claiming she felt insulted and humiliated.
Ms Farqui confirmed the Australian Human Rights Commission was investigating.
Ms Faruqi announced on Friday she has referred the tweet to the Australian Human Rights Commission
Greens leader Adam Bandt said there is no place for racism in society or politics
‘I’m glad the Human Rights Commission has accepted my complaint. Racism must be held to account,’ she wrote on Facebook on Friday.
Ms Faruqi called for the One Nation leader to be disciplined for her comments.
‘For too long, Senator Hanson has been allowed to perpetrate racism without any consequences,’ she told Guardian Australia.
‘The Senate couldn’t even agree to censure her last week. Enough is enough.’
Greens leader Adam Bandt said there is no place for racism in society or politics.
‘What Pauline Hanson said was despicable,’ he said.
‘Members of parliament … should have the ability to contribute in the public debate without attacks of racism, and to be told to go back to where they come from.’
‘When people use the bull pit of parliament to make racist attacks on people, it should be condemned.’
The Greens attempted to censure Ms Hanson in the chamber last month but the motion was amended by the government and opposition to instead condemn all forms of racism.
Ms Hanson has defended her comments and denied she is racist.
She said her comments were a critique of the Greens senator tweeting: ‘I cannot mourn the leader of a racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonised peoples’.
‘Criticism is not racism,’ Ms Hanson told the Senate on September 27.
‘(The Greens) see themselves as the epitome of virtue who can say or do nothing wrong. Their sense of entitlement and privilege is stunning.’
The Australian Human Rights Commission declined to comment.
Pauline Hanson has defended her comments and denied she is racist as she is investigated over the tweet