Pauline Hanson breaks down after racial discrimination judgment
Pauline Hanson says Australia has become different from the country she knew after a crushing court judgment against her.
Pauline Hanson has broken down as she said Australia was “not the country I grew up in” after being found in court to have racially vilified Senate colleague Mehreen Faruqi.
One Nation Leader Ms Hanson told Ms Faruqi to “piss off back to Pakistan” in a 2022 tweet after the Greens senator had published a comment about the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Last week Federal Court Justice Angus Stewart found Ms Hanson’s post was unlawful under Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, labelling it an “angry ad hominem attack” on Ms Faruqi.
In an interview with Sky News host Andrew Bolt on Tuesday, Ms Hanson spoke through tears of the personal toll the defamation case had taken.
“I just feel that, um, the country’s changed so much, in such a way that people can’t say what they think anymore,” she said.
“The thought police are out there. Everyone’s shut down from having an opinion.
“It’s not the country that I grew up in.
“And you know people may criticise my comment. I’ve never changed since I first entered politics nearly 30 years ago.
“The decision made, I think, was unfair, unjust and a bit hard but I’m not going to give up. I’m going to appeal against it, I’m going to fight this.”
Greens Senator Ms Faruqi has said Justice Stewart’s decision “draws a line that hate speech is not free speech”.
“And those who subject people to racial abuse will not get away scot-free,” she said.
“Today’s judgment is landmark, it is historic, and it is groundbreaking and it will set a new precedent with how racism is viewed in this country.”
Her original comment to which Ms Hanson responded was that she “cannot mourn the leader of a racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonised peoples”.
During Tuesday’s interview with Mr Bolt, Ms Hanson claimed it had “never entered my mind at the time of putting out that tweet that (Ms Faruqi) was muslin, or the colour of her skin”.
“I was just so upset about her comments about the Queen, the day the Queen died,” the conservative politician said.
“And the judge said I instigated other tweets from other people, that were hurtful to her.
“People responded to her regardless of what I put out.”
Ms Hanson went on to say “she’s not the first time I’ve told someone to go back to where they came from”
“Colour of the skin, it means nothing to me.”
The One Nation leader said she would appeal against the decision, which has left her with a $900,000 legal bill.
Mr Bolt asked if viewers or supporters could donate to a legal fund to help cover the costs.
“If people want to do that, which I thank them from the bottom of my heat, they can go to the One Nation website,” Ms Hanson replied.
“That is going to be a separate account.
“I guarantee the money will not be used for anything else but to fight this.”