Politics

Pauline Hanson savages government over ‘OK to be white’ backflip

Oct 17, 2018

Pauline Hanson has blasted the government and its excuse after backflipping on her “it’s OK to be white” policy. Source: Getty

Earlier this week, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson suffered a defeat in the Senate after her “it’s OK to be white” motion was narrowly beaten by 21 votes to 28.

Hanson called for her colleagues to acknowledge “rising anti-white racism and attacks on Western Civilisation”. Although the likes of Cory Bernardi, David Leyonhjelm and Fraser Anning voted in favour of the motion, the government later blamed an “administrative process error” for government senators including Communications Minister Mitch Fifield and Minister for Jobs and Small Business Michaelia Cash voting in favour.

Hanson appeared on Wednesday morning’s episode of Today where she branded those who voted in favour and took it back as “absolute fools”.

“They really are. The way the Liberal party and National have acted over this is just ridiculous,” she claimed. “They should’ve let it go, they should not have said anything about it and there wouldn’t have been a problem with it.”

"I think it's so funny." @PaulineHansonOZ on being compared to white supremacists. #9Today pic.twitter.com/6WOVi6uh64

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) October 16, 2018

Hanson claimed they were spooked by the Labor party, the PCs and the Greens. She also branded the government’s excuse as “pathetic”. Speaking in the chamber before the vote, Hanson claimed supporting her motion was the “reasonable thing” to do.

“Anyone who pays attention to the news or spends any time on social media has to acknowledge that there has been a rise in anti-white racism and a rise in attacks on the very ideals of Western civilisation,” she said. “People have a right to be proud of their cultural background, whether they are black, white or brindle. If we can’t agree on this, I think it’s safe to say anti-white racism is well and truly rife in our society.”

On Today, she said people were pushing pity and said it was “disgusting”, although host Karl Stefanovic questioned whether debating the issue was causing more divides across Australia.

“I don’t believe so because if we don’t say anything, they are suppressing us and our views and our thoughts,” Hanson explained. “The political correctness in this country is absolutely ridiculous. People have a right to have an opinion and have a say. That’s what our society, our democracy and our western civilisation gives us.”

She said it was the Greens, people on the far-left and people with their own agenda who were trying to suppress views and claimed conservatism in politics was dying.

During the interview, Hanson denied she was a white supremacist and laughed off media reports that claim her views are similar to those of the neo-Nazi movement in the United States.

“I think it’s so funny,” she told Stefanovic. “It is absolutely ridiculous to actually connect me with that and that’s what they want to do. All this PC-brigade out there want to connect me with that. What a load of hogwash.”