Pauline Hanson has thrown her support behind Sonia Kruger’s assertion yesterday morning that a moratorium be placed on Muslim migration to Australia, announcing ‘Go Sonia!’ to viewers across Australia on ABC’s Q&A program last night.
The leader of One Nation was seated next to Labor senator Sam Dastyari, who spoke about his own journey from Iran as a 5-year-old boy, in light of the debate sparked by Kruger’s response to an Andrew Bolt column in the wake of last weeks attacks in Nice.
He described the comments — which are echoed in Hanson’s policies — as “painful” and asked:
“Would you have allowed five-year-old Sam Dastyari into this country? He came to this country on 16 January, 1988, two weeks before the Bicentenary celebrations and my family has done nothing but contribute to this country since they’ve been here.”
Who could say no to that face?
Despite his jovial election night offer of a halal snack pack, Hanson apparently had no idea about Dastyari’s background.
The exchange that followed went a little something like this, (but you can watch the whole thing in the video above):
Eventually, after some coaxing from host Tony Jones, Hanson responded to the question declaring that the political climate has changed since Dastyari’s family made the trip 28 years ago.
‘”I’m saying: ‘Go Sonia’,” she said, backing the Today Extra commentator.
“I think it’s great that someone is standing up, because she’s expressed her feeling about it.”
Mia Freedman, Kate de Brito and Monique Bowley talk Pauline Hanson on Mamamia OutLoud:
Later in the program, questioner Mohammed Attai expressed his belief that “the best way to increase understanding and mutual respect is through interaction”.
He then extended the Queensland senator-elect the offer of lunch or dinner (“whichever suits you”) with himself and his Muslim family.
You can see how that turned out here:
Oh, Pauline.
Meanwhile, outside of the ABC’s Sydney headquarters a stoush was brewing between around 100 rival protesters.
On one side of the street Hanson supporters stood armed with pro-Pauline placards, welcoming her back and declaring the apparent failure of multiculturalism (seriously, one read: “multiculturalism has failed”), while on the other, counter-protesters had signs of their own and an impressive repertoire of anti-racist chants.
Around five or six men were arrested but later released without charge.
Top Comments
Pauline Hanson is excruciatingly inarticulate. When the bearded man asked her to explain her Islamaphobia, her first response should have been to explain that there is no such thing as Islamaphobia. It is a word that has been made up to imply that fear of Muslims is irrational. Fear of Islam is absolutely rational, and the evidence for that is the situation of women in the Middle East, and the flow of people out of it.
She could have gone on then to list all the evils of Mohammed's teachings and how they would adversely affect women.
She should have asked him if he hated violence against women, and produced the Sura that advocates it.
Pauline has never been articulate with the reptilian media
Great post.
The interesting thing is that he is NOT a muslim... he WAS one... but now he's not religious at all. SHE knew it... which is why she kept repeating... are you really ?
But he lied in front of all who saw the program. and all the do-gooders on this page are just drooling behind his lie.
Dumb