Australian politician fails to overturn racial vilification ruling over telling Muslim senator to go back to Pakistan

A popular far-right Australian politician failed on Monday to overturn a racial vilification finding that was handed down after she told a Muslim senator to go back to Pakistan.

Senator Pauline Hanson has emerged as one of Australia’s most popular politicians, wooing voters with calls for strict immigration curbs, mass deportations of “illegal migrants” and enhanced free speech protections.

Hanson took aim at Pakistan-born Australian lawmaker Mehreen Faruqi in 2022 over comments made in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.

Faruqi, a left-leaning Greens senator, said she could not mourn the “leader of a racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonised people”.

Hanson replied on social media: “When you immigrated to Australia you took every advantage of this country. You took citizenship, bought multiple homes, and a job in a parliament. It’s clear you’re not happy, so pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan.”

The Federal Court of Australia found in 2024, in response to a complaint from Faruqi, that Hanson’s comments amounted to a “strong form of racism”.

The judge found Hanson’s post breached Australia’s laws against racial discrimination as it was reasonably likely to offend, insult, humiliate and intimidate Faruqi, as well as Muslim Australians and people of colour who had migrated to the country.

Hanson appealed the decision, arguing she did not breach the law and the law was in any case constitutionally invalid. Her appeal was dismissed on Monday.

“I was incensed by the incredible disrespect that I felt was shown to our late Queen on the day of her death by Senator Faruqi and others,” she said after the court’s decision.

“I simply wanted to call that out.”

For years a political outsider, Hanson’s One Nation has surged this year to become one of the country’s most popular parties, according to opinion polls.

Hanson has pledged sweeping cuts to government spending — akin to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the United States — and has urged Australia to rethink its membership of international organisations.