‘Blatant racism’: Australian senator wears burqa in parliament to push ban, sparking outrage
Sydney: Australian far-right Senator Pauline Hanson wore a burqa in Parliament on Monday as part of her renewed push for a public ban on the Islamic garment. The stunt drew immediate backlash from Muslim senators, who slammed it as “blatant racism."
Hanson wore the burqa shortly after she was denied permission to introduce a bill seeking to outlaw the full-body garment and other full-face coverings in public places in Australia, as reported by news agency Reuters.
It marked the second time she had used the garment, worn by several Muslim women, in parliament in an effort to ban the public wearing of burqas.
The Senate erupted in anger as she walked into the chamber wearing the burqa, and proceedings were suspended when Hanson refused to remove it.
“This is a racist senator, displaying blatant racism,” said Mehreen Faruqi, a Greens senator from the state of New South Wales. Independent senator Fatima Payman of Western Australia described the incident as “disgraceful.”
Penny Wong, leader of the centre-left Labor government in the Senate, and Anne Ruston, deputy Senate leader for the opposition coalition, both rebuked the stunt.
“The act was not worthy of a member of the Australian Senate,” Reuters quoted Wong as saying. She moved a motion to suspend Hanson for failing to remove the garment. When Hanson declined to leave the chamber, the Senate was forced to suspend proceedings.
Hanson, a Queensland senator who rose to prominence in the 1990s for her hardline views on immigration and asylum seekers, has long campaigned against Islamic clothing. In a Facebook statement after the incident, she said her actions were a protest against the Senate’s refusal to support her proposed ban.
“So if the Parliament won’t ban it, I will display this oppressive, radical, non-religious head garb that risks? Our national security and the ill-treatment of women on the floor of our parliament so that every Australian knows what’s at stake,” Hanson said in the statement. “If they don’t want me wearing it – ban the burqa,” she added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
ED attaches fresh assets in PMLA case against Reliance Group; total attachment over Rs 10K cr
New Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate has attached fresh assets worth Rs 1,120 crore as part of its money laundering probe against the companies of Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani, officials said.
Eighteen properties, including the Reliance Centre in Mumbai's Ballard Estate, fixed deposits, bank balance and shareholding in unqouted investments of Reliance Anil Ambani Group have been provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.
Another set of seven properties of Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, two properties of Reliance Power Ltd, nine properties of Reliance Value Service Private Ltd, fixed deposits in the name of Reliance Value Service Private Ltd, Reliance Venture Asset Management Private Lt, Phi Management Solutions Private Ltd, Adhar Property Consultancy Pvt Ltd, Gamesa Investment Management Private Ltd and investments made in unquoted investment by Reliance Venture Asset Management Private Ltd and Phi Management Solutions Private Ltd have also been attached, they said.
The ED had earlier attached properties worth over Rs 8,997 crore in the bank fraud cases related to Reliance Communications Ltd (RCOM), Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd, and Reliance Home Finance Ltd.
The total attachment in the case against the Reliance Group is now Rs 10,117 crore.
