Pauline Hanson loses: court confirms tweet racially vilified Senator
'Today's win is for every single person out there who has been told to go back where they came from.'
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has lost an appeal against a court finding that she racially discriminated against Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi by tweeting at her to "piss off back to Pakistan".
Hanson appealed the judgement from November 2024, which found she breached section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.
Three Federal Court judges stated on Monday that "none of the grounds of appeal have been established".
They confirmed the primary court ruling, and agreed Hanson's tweet targeted "immigrants, people of colour and Muslims".
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Pauline Hanson loses: court confirms tweet racially vilified Senator
Faruqi took Hanson to court over her Twitter, now X, post, which was made in September 2022 on the day Queen Elizabeth II died.
Her own initial post said she "cannot mourn the leader of a racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonized people".
Hanson's tweet, posted as a reply read: "Your attitude appals and disgusts me. When you immigrated to Australia you took every advantage of this country.
"You took citizenship, bought multiple homes, and a job in a parliament. It's clear you're not happy, so pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan. — PH."
Justice Angus Stewart found that Hanson's response was "anti-Muslim or Islamophobic" and that her following would be encouraged to post similar sentiments.
After Monday's news of Hanson's appeal loss, Faruqi said the decision to dismiss the appeal was a win for immigrants who had settled in Australia.
"Today, justice has prevailed," she said outside court, the ABC reported.
"Today's win is for every single person out there who has been told to go back where they came from … who has been made to feel their belonging in this country is conditional.
“Here we have 434 paragraphs of dismissing Pauline Hanson's appeal, of confirming that indeed Pauline Hanson behaved in racism, Islamophobia and hate.”
"One Nation and Pauline Hanson's racism has harmed too many over the last three decades.
"Today's victory is especially important because it comes at a time when the far right is rising and fuelling more and more racism in this country.
“This case today is our fight back.”
Hanson responds to loss of appeal
In a social media post, Hanson responded to the judgement, promising she has a "view to commencing an appeal in the High Court of Australia".
"This has never been, nor ever should be, the Australian way," she stated.
"We all need to have the courage, and the freedom, to say what we think on issues that are important to us all.
“Some of those views may not be what certain people would like to hear, but that doesn’t mean that they are not valid views.”
"I was incensed by the incredible disrespect that I felt was shown to our late Queen on the day of her death by Senator Fahruqi and others. I simply wanted to call that out.
“For me, respect for our institutions of government; for our collective moral compass; and for the principles, including respect for our Head of State, which together have shaped this wonderful nation, are vital attributes which all Australians should embrace.”
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