Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi has replied “no comment” when asked outside her defamation hearing whether all white people are racist.
Senator Faruqi is suing fellow senator Pauline Hanson for $150,000 in damages over online comments the One Nation leader made in September 2022 in which he told her to “go back to Pakistan” after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Senator Hanson’s comments were sparked by the Greens deputy leader’s tweet in which she stated that she “cannot mourn the leader of a racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth from colonized peoples.”
Senator Faruqi was approached by independent journalist Chris De Bruyne outside the Federal Court in Sydney this week, where she gave the eyebrow-raising answer to what he said should have been a simple question.
“Are all white people racist?” asked Mr De Bruyne.
Senator Faruqi shook her head and replied “no comment.”
“That’s not a no,” Mr. De Bruyne insisted.
Senator Faruqi’s lawyer then advised her not to respond and the couple walked away.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi outside the Federal Court this week replied ‘no comment’ to the question ‘are all white people racist?’
She is suing Pauline Hanson (pictured with her lawyer Sue Chrysanthou) for $150,000 in damages over a racist tweet she claims was aimed at her
Senator Faruqi took action on Senator Hanson’s tweet after he claimed it was racially discriminatory and provoked a ‘flood’ of nasty comments online.
She has accused Senator Hanson of ignoring section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which prohibits actions that insult, insult or humiliate a person on the basis of their race, ethnicity or national origin.
She told the Federal Court this week that verbal attacks on white people in Australia are not racist because racism is “tied to power” and that “power … is in the hands of white people” in this country.
“It depends on who has the power and who has the authority to commit racism and oppress people,” Ms. Faruqi said when asked about comments her son, journalist Osman Faruqi, had made about criticizing white people .
“And in this country, the power of that is in the hands of white people.”
Senator Hanson has accused Ms Faruqi of hypocrisy.
In his closing arguments before the Federal Court on Wednesday, Faruqi’s lawyer Saul Holt KC branded Senator Hanson as “a high-profile spreader of hate speech” against people with migrant characteristics.
“The published words (in her tweet) were a version of a well-known, anti-migrant, racist phrase ‘go back to where you came from’,” he said.
“And they were clearly targeting a brown, Muslim, immigrant senator.”
Senator Faruqi was born in Pakistan before migrating to Australia, where she became Australia’s first Muslim senator in 2018.
Mr Holt argued that the words sent “a clear message” of “the idea of ostracism” and that Senator Faruqi was “of a lower status” because of her ethnicity.
“When you’re told not to bite the hand that feeds you, it basically means you have to shut up and stop making controversial statements because you’re a migrant,” he said.
The court was told that Senator Faruqi had experienced psychological trauma and “extreme distress” after receiving her Senate colleague’s tweet and the “utterly sickening” stream of tweets from the public.
Senator Hanson’s suggestion that she should have “taken it on the chin” revealed the debunked “myth” that public figures are “inoculated” against the effects of public criticism, Mr Holt said.
He argued that the impact of the tweet was “much more substantial” on Senator Faruqi, as she already feels “excluded” and “different” for being the first Muslim woman in parliament.
Senator Hanson played “the person not the ball” in her tweet by “misusing a person versus an idea,” Holt said.
Hanson wrote: “You took citizenship, bought several houses and got a job in a legislature. It’s clear you’re not happy, so pack your bags and go back to Pakistan’
He noted that the senator had not focused on the controversial message or words of Senator Faruqi’s first tweet, but rather attacked her as a person with a “racially based slur.”
“This was a personal racist attack based on a response to a political tweet,” Mr Holt claimed.
He argued that Senator Hanson’s well-documented history of “hostility” toward Muslims, Islam and Muslim immigration pointed to one conclusion.
“This tweet was posted due to the fact that Senator Faruqi is a Muslim woman of color and the fact that she happened to be from Pakistan,” Mr Holt said.
‘It’s just plain classic racial hatred.
“(Senator Hanson) never thought about the pain she could cause.”
However, Senator Hanson’s lawyer Kieran Smark SC refuted the allegations, saying his client was engaged in political speech when she directed the tweet at her Greens colleague.
“You have two members of the Australian Senate, both making public announcements… and the subject is the death of the head of state,” he said.
“It is difficult to think of a clearer example of matters related to governmental and political affairs.”
Senator Faruqi claimed Hanson’s tweet caused a “flood” of nasty online comments
Ms Chrysanthou used social media posts by Ms Faruqi’s son, journalist Osman Faruqi (pictured), which she told the court were insulting to white people – but Senator Faruqi argued that criticizing ‘white people’ was not racist used to be
Mr Smark said Senator Faruqi had “used the opportunity of the Queen’s death to further his nominated political causes” by pushing for Australia to become a republic just hours after the monarch’s death.
He argued that Senator Hanson had responded with an honest expression of her own views on the issue of public interest.
When asked about the personal nature of the tweet, Mr Smark said politicians often use “strong language” to convince the public of a position.
“When you respond to an attack, you can choose to respond to the attack or respond to the character of the accuser,” he said.
The court heard that Senator Hanson had previously told another senator to go back to where he came from when he appeared on a morning show in 2018.
The court was shown a clip of Senator Hanson telling then Senator Derryn Hinch to “pack his bags and get on the next plane out of the country” back to New Zealand.
“Come back when you have your manners back,” she berated her colleague on air.
The video was presented to the court after Senator Hanson was challenged Tuesday on whether she had ever told a white person to go back to his native country.
Mr Smark will continue his closing statements on Thursday after declaring that Senator Hanson has ‘no liability’ to the Greens deputy leader.
The court heard that Senator Faruqi was not seeking monetary penalties, but rather an order for Senator Hanson to donate $150,000 to a Sweatshop Literacy Movement charity, attend anti-racism training and issue an apology tweet.
Both senators have partially funded their legal costs through crowdfunding platforms.
