Senator Pauline Hanson accused of ‘racial hatred’ in heated court battle

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has been accused of “classical racial hatred” after she told another senator to “piss off back to Pakistan” in a fiery social media exchange.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson demonstrated “classical racial hatred” when she posted a tweet telling senator Mehreen Faruqi to “piss off back to Pakistan”, a court has been told.

Senator Faruqi is suing Senator Hanson in the Federal Court over the tweet posted on the day Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022.

The inflammatory exchange was sparked when the Greens deputy leader posted a tweet declaring she “cannot mourn the leader of a racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonised peoples”.

Her colleague Senator Hanson fired back a heated tweet saying she was “appalled” by the tweet and suggesting Senator Faruqi “pack (her) bags and piss off back to Pakistan”.

Senator Pauline Hanson is being sued by her colleague Senator Mehreen Faruqi over a tweet. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

Senator Faruqi has taken action over the tweet, which she claims was racially discriminatory and provoked a “torrent of abuse”.

In his closing submissions in the Federal Court on Wednesday, her barrister Saul Holt KC labelled Senator Hanson a “a high-profile purveyor of hateful speech” against people with migrant characteristics.

“The words published (in her tweet) were a version of a well known, anti-migrant, racist phrase ‘go back to where you came from’,” he said.

“And they were plainly targeted (at) a brown, Muslim, migrant senator.”

Senator Faruqi was born in Pakistan before migrating to Australia, where she became Australia’s first Muslim senator in 2018.

Mr Holt argued the words sent “a clear message” of “the idea of banishment” and that Senator Faruqi was “of a lesser status” because of her ethnic origin.

“Being told … not to bite the hand that feeds you, is really to be told to shut up and stop engaging in controversial speech because you’re a migrant,” he said.

The court was told Senator Faruqi had experienced psychological trauma and “extreme distress” after receiving her colleague’s tweet and the “bluntly sickening” flood of tweets from the public.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi claims the tweet was racially discriminatory. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

Senator Hanson’s suggestion she should have “taken it on the chin” revealed the disproven “myth” that public figures are “inoculated” from the effects of public criticism, Mr Holt said.

He argued the impact of the tweet was “much more substantial” on Senator Faruqi because she already feels “excluded” and “othered” as a result of being the first Muslim woman in parliament.

Senator Hanson played “the person and not the ball” by “abusing a person versus an idea” in her tweet, Mr Holt said.

He noted the senator had not targeted the controversial message or words of Senator Faruqi’s initial tweet, but rather attacked her as a person with a “racially-based slur”.

“This was a personal racist attack based on a response to a political tweet,” Mr Holt asserted.

He highlighted Senator Hanson’s well-documented history of “hostility” towards Muslims, Islam, and Muslim immigration pointed to one conclusion.

“This tweet was (posted) because of the fact that Senator Faruqi is a Muslim woman of colour as well as the fact that she happened to be from Pakistan,” Mr Holt said.

“It’s bluntly just classical racial hatred.

“(Senator Hanson) has never given any thought to the hurt she might cause.”

Senator Hanson shook the hand of Senator Faruqi when she was first sworn in. Picture: Gary Ramage

However, Senator Hanson’s lawyer Kieran Smark SC rebutted the allegations by arguing his client had been engaging in political speech

when she aimed the tweet at her Greens colleague.

“You’ve got two members of the Australian senate, both making public communications … and the subject matter is the death of the head of state,” he said.

“It’s hard to think of a plainer example of matters connected with government and political matters.”

Mr Smark stated Senator Faruqi had “used the occasion of the death of the Queen to advance the nominated political causes” by pushing for Australia to become a republic just hours after the monarch died.

He argued Senator Hanson had responded with a fair expression of her own opinion on the matter of public interest.

When he was queried about the personal nature of the tweet, Mr Smark responded that politicians often use “powerful language” to convince audiences of a view.

“When you’re replying to an attack, you may choose to respond to the attack or respond to the character of the accuser,” he said.

The court heard Senator Hanson had previously told another senator to go back to where he came from when appearing on a morning show in 2018.

Senator Faruqi has suffered ongoing distress after the tweet, the court was told. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

The court was shown a clip of Senator Hanson telling then-Senator Derryn Hinch to “pack (his) bags and get on the next plane out of the country” back to New Zealand.

“Come back when you’ve got your manners,” she berated her colleague on air.

The video was tendered to the court after Senator Hanson was challenged on Tuesday about whether she had ever told a white person to go back to their birth country.

Mr Smark will continue his closing statements on Thursday after declaring Senator Hanson has “no liability” towards the Greens deputy leader.

The court heard Senator Faruqi was not seeking monetary penalties, but rather an order for Senator Hanson to donate $150,000 to Sweatshop Literacy Movement charity, attend anti-racism training and publish an apology tweet.

Both senators have partially funded their legal fees through crowd-funding platforms.