Australian court rejects Hanson appeal in racial discrimination case

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An Australian federal court ruled unanimously that right-wing politician Pauline Hanson discriminated against Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi in a 2022 social media post.

The lawsuit revolved around a statement by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson ordering Faruqi to ‘go back to Pakistan’ after the senator insulted Queen Elizabeth II's legacy following her death. Faruqi, who was born in Pakistan, took legal action under Australia's Racial Discrimination Act.

The court denied Hanson's appeal, agreeing with an earlier decision that the comment was reasonably likely to offend, degrade, humiliate, or intimidate Faruqi because of her race or national origin. The justices also determined that the post was not covered by Australia's constitutional freedom of political communication.

Faruqi praised the decision, calling it a significant win against racism and hate speech. Hanson has continued to deny that her post constituted racial discrimination and may take the issue to Australia's High Court.