Australian MPs slam ‘racist’ allegations in firefight

ANKARA

Australian lawmakers on Wednesday denounced “racist” allegations made by a senator who challenged an Afghan-born colleague’s seat in Parliament.

Senator Fatima Payman condemned Senator Pauline Hanson’s statements questioning her standing in Parliament, calling them “a disgrace to the human race”.

In a heated exchange, Payman accused Hanson, the leader of the One Nation party, of being a “racist”, as seen in video footage of parliamentary proceedings.

Payman won the support of Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe, who tore up papers and walked out of the Senate in protest at Hanson’s remarks.

The exchange began after Hanson tabled documents in Parliament questioning Payman’s eligibility to sit in the chamber because of her dual citizenship.

Payman and her family fled Afghanistan in the early 2000s after the US-led invasion. She still holds Afghan citizenship but blames the problems after the Taliban took power in 2021.

In response to Hanson, Payman labeled her a “racist” and said: “You bring shame to the human race.”

“The fact that just a few weeks ago you were telling Senator (Mehreen) Faruqi, ‘get angry back in Pakistan’, you are not just vindictive, mean, nasty. You bring shame to the human race,” Payman added.

She was referring to a recent court ruling that found Hanson had broken race laws with her comments about Muslim MP Mehreen Faruqi.

Faruqi filed a case against Hanson in court after a September 2022 social media post, made on the day Queen Elizabeth died, in which Faruqi claimed Hanson had breached the Racial Discrimination Act.

As Labor senators moved to support the motion, Thorpe was heard shouting and tearing up documents, throwing them at Hanson.

Thorpe later told reporters that the exchange highlighted the need for “stronger anti-racism standards to ensure a safe workplace” in Parliament.

“Now this morning I saw a convicted racist (Hanson) with the disgusting scum spewing from that mouth against anyone who is not white. That means this job is not safe for anyone who is not white,” Thorpe said.

Hanson’s attempt to refer Payman to a parliamentary committee was defeated by Labor and the Greens.

Last month, pro-Palestinian Senator Payman announced his plan to launch a new political party after resigning from the Labor Party over its stance on Palestine.

*Written by Islamuddin Sajid

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