Chicago – November 25, 2025
Australian Senator Pauline Hanson has been suspended from Parliament for the remainder of the year after entering the Senate chamber wearing a burqa as a protest.
The 71-year-old leader of the One Nation party, known for its anti-Muslim and anti-immigration stance, donned the full-body Muslim garment to push for a nationwide ban on the burqa and other full-face coverings in public places. Her stunt was intended to highlight the refusal of fellow senators to consider her proposed bill banning the burqa.
The Senate responded with outrage, suspending Hanson for seven consecutive sitting days, one of the harshest penalties in recent years. She was accused of mocking and vilifying the Muslim faith, which is practiced by nearly a million Australians.
The Senate proceedings were disrupted when Hanson refused to remove the garment or leave the chamber. Senator Penny Wong, Australia’s Foreign Minister, described Hanson’s act as an immature stunt that damages social cohesion and harms vulnerable communities.
Hanson defended her actions, criticizing her colleagues for hypocrisy in blocking her bill while forbidding her to wear the burqa. The Senate is now in recess until February, with Hanson’s suspension to continue into the next session of Parliament.
