ISLAMABAD: Australian lawmaker Pauline Hanson was suspended from the senate on Tuesday for wearing a burqa to the parliament, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Pauline, who wore a burqa to parliament in 2017 as well, is the leader of the anti-immigration One Nation party. She was banned from the legislative body for seven days.
The lawmaker wanted to vote on legislation to ban burqas in public places, which was blocked and not approved. In response, Pauline left the session and returned wearing a black burqa.
Her display was met with outrage from her fellow senators.
Australian Greens leader in the Senate, Larissa Waters, described the act, saying, "It is extremely racist and unsafe," AFP reported.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who also serves as leader of the government in the Senate, condemned it as "disrespectful."
"All of us in this place have a great privilege in coming into this chamber," Wong said.
She added, "We represent in our states people of every faith, of all backgrounds. And we should do so decently."
Hanson has described Islam as "a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own."
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