Australian court upholds racial discrimination ruling against Pauline Hanson.
Pauline Hanson, the leader of the One Nation party, faced a Federal Court decision that her 2022 tweet directed at Senator Mehreen Faruqi was an unlawful racial insult under the Racial Discrimination Act. The court rejected Hanson’s appeal, reaffirming the 2024 ruling that she had breached the Act by making a “go back to Pakistan” threat in response to faruqi’s condolence post on the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Judge Angus Stewart found the tweet to be a variant of a historically xenophobic slogan that was “implicitly” aimed at Muslims, a “racist trope” with a long history. The court ordered the removal of the tweet and required Hanson to pay Faruqi’s legal costs.
Faruqi, the deputy leader of Australia’s Greens, highlighted that the case aimed to hold accountable actions that perpetuate racism, emphasizing that “hate speech is not free speech.” She welcomed the court’s determination as a step toward protecting people whose belonging feels conditional within the nation.
In response, Hanson expressed disappointment but indicated she would review the ruling and consider an appeal in the High Court. She has historically promoted a “Muslim ban” and recently faced backlash for comments that “there are no good Muslims.”
Hanson also denied that she was supporting a return to a “White Australia” policy when speaking to British far‑right activist Tommy Robinson, though she acknowledged the country’s shift away from that historically exclusionary stance.
