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Pauline Hanson is being sued by top Greens MP after One Nation leader told her to ‘go back to Pakistan’
Mehreen Faruqi is suing Pauline Hanson
Hanson told her to ‘pack your bags and go back to Pakistan’
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Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi has taken legal action against Pauline Hanson over a tweet calling on the party’s deputy leader to “pack your bags and go back to Pakistan.”
The One Nation leader’s tweet was in response to comments made by Senator Faruqi after Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September.
Ms. Faruqi filed paperwork in federal court, suing Senator Hanson for unlawful offensive conduct in response to the comment, alleging that Senator Hanson violated Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act
She is seeking $150,000 from Senator Hanson to donate to a non-profit or community organization of her choosing.
She also wants Hanson to take anti-racism training and pay legal fees.
Greens deputy leader Senator Mehreen Faruqi (pictured) has taken legal action against Pauline Hanson over comments made in a 2022 tweet
In a statement, Senator Faruqi said she refused to “let Senator Hanson get away with racial harassment and intimidation.”
“I’ve taken on bullies all my life. I believe if you have the power to effect positive change, you should use it for the benefit of the community,” she wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
In September, after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Ms. Faruqi tweeted that she “could not mourn the leader of a racist empire built on stolen lives, lands and wealth from colonized peoples.”
“We are reminded of the urgency of a treaty with First Nations, justice and reparations to British colonies and becoming a republic,” she wrote.
The comments angered Ms. Hanson, who hit back in a fiery tweet directed at the Greens Senator.
“Your attitude baffles and disgusts me,” Hanson wrote.
Ms Hanson accused Ms Faruqi of taking ‘every advantage’ of living in Australia after emigrating from abroad, telling her to ‘pack your bags and go back to Pakistan’.
Senator Hanson said in a tweet that Senator Faruqi should ‘pack your bags and *** back to Pakistan’
Last year, the Greens tried to censor Senator Hanson in the upper house, but the motion was amended by the government and opposition to condemn all forms of racism instead.
Senator Hanson declined to back down on her comments and denied she is racist.
Senator Faruqi said she chose to initiate proceedings following Hanson’s refusal to apologize for the tweet and her rejection of reconciliation efforts by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
“Senator Hanson has used her decades in the spotlight and her immense public platform to spread vicious hatred against people of color,” Faruqi said.
“She did incalculable damage and got away with it for way too long. It’s time she was held accountable.”
Pauline Hanson sues Mehreen Faruqi over ‘Pakistan’ tweet