One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has issued defamation warnings to Lidia Thorpe and Channel Nine’s Today show after the senator branded her a “convicted racist” on national television.
Senator Hanson’s main legal team, which is also handling her racism case against Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi, sent out the legal letters following Senator Thorpe’s appearance on the show on Thursday morning.
The letters, titled “urgent defamation”, demanded that Senator Thorpe apologize for calling Senator Hanson a “convicted racist” or face legal action.
“This morning you gave an interview broadcast on the Nine Network during the Today Show in which you referred to our client,” the letter said.
—During that interview you stated that Senator Hanson had been convicted of racism. That never happened.
‘No such crime has been charged against our client and there is no such conviction.
‘It is very irresponsible of them to have used this language on national television. It cannot have happened innocently, given how patently false his claim is.
The letter continued: ‘We demand that you immediately and publicly withdraw the allegation that our client is convicted of a criminal offense and that you apologize to her for your inappropriate conduct.
Lidia Thorpe (pictured) called Pauline Hanson a “convicted racist” on national television on Thursday morning.
Senator Hanson (pictured) issued Senator Thorpe and the Nine Network with a defamation warning over sledging.
‘You are a public servant who has a platform that must be used responsibly. Part of that involves urgently correcting yourself when you speak in error.
“We look forward to your prompt response.”
A statement from Senator Hanson added: ‘Media outlets repeating Lidia Thorpe’s false claim that Senator Pauline Hanson has been ‘convicted of racism’ have been warned they could face legal proceedings.
On November 1, a federal court found that Senator Hanson had racially vilified Senator Faruqi by telling her to “fuck back to Pakistan” in a message on X, formerly Twitter.
Senator Hanson’s legal team lodged an appeal against the sentence, saying her sledging was not racist as she previously told another senator to “go back” to New Zealand.
His team also claimed that Senator Hanson’s comment could not be considered a racial slur as he did not mention Senator Mehreen’s skin color.
Senator Hanson is using nearly $700,000 donated by her supporters to help fund her impressive legal team.
She will be represented by prominent lawyer Sue Chrysathanou and her lawyer Anthony Jeffries, who is also representing Lisa Wilkinson in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial.
Justice Angus Stewart’s findings handed down on November 1 found that Senator Hanson’s post on “.
However, Senator Hanson’s attack was not racist as it was “only directed at Senator Faruqi, there is no explicit or implicit reference to color.”
“It was not stated or told to Senator Hanson that Hanson’s tweet was directed at immigrants (in general) and ‘people of color,'” defense documents seen by news.com.au fixed.
Fatima Payman (pictured) slammed Senator Hanson as a “racist” for presenting a document questioning her right to sit in parliament because of her Afghan origin.
Senator Hanson’s team also pushed back against accusations that the position was anti-Muslim.
“The chief judge was wrong to find that Hanson’s tweet targets Muslims and conveys an anti-Muslim message, in circumstances where there was not a single implicit or explicit reference to Islam in Hanson’s tweet,” he said.
‘…The chief judge erred in finding that Hanson’s tweet was, in all the circumstances, reasonably likely to offend, insult, humiliate and intimidate groups of people in reference to the groups ‘people of color who are immigrants in Australia or Australians of relatively recent migrant heritage” and “Muslims who are people of color in Australia.”
“None of these groups were defended by Senator Faruqi, and Senator Hanson was not notified that these groups would be the subject of adverse findings against him until the publication of the ruling.”
Tensions between Senator Hanson and Senator Thorpe after the controversial Indigenous politician shouted that Senator Hanson was a “convicted racist” following a furious spray from Fatima Payman.
Senator Payman, who left Labor to set up her own party earlier this year, lashed out at the One Nation leader, accusing her of racism and claiming she spread hate and division.
Their dispute was sparked by a document that Senator Hanson presented in who questioned whether Senator Payman’s Afghan citizenship disqualified her from serving in parliament.
Section 44c of the Australian constitution prevents anyone who holds the citizenship of another country from sitting in parliament.
On November 1, a federal court found that Senator Hanson (pictured) had racially vilified Mehreen Faruqi by telling her to “fuck back to Pakistan” in a message on X, formerly Twitter.
Senator Payman was born in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, but obtained Australian citizenship in 2005.
However, this did not automatically revoke his Afghan citizenship, raising questions about his eligibility to hold a Senate seat.
Senator Payman claims she contacted the Afghan embassy in Australia in October 2021 to renounce her Afghan citizenship but they were unable to do so because they had no relationship with the new Taliban government.
However, Senator Payman received legal advice from the Labor Party that she had taken “all reasonable steps” to revoke her foreign citizenship and was eligible.
On Wednesday, Senator Payman lashed out at the One Nation leader in parliament, suggesting she “go to Afghanistan and talk to the Taliban about this”.
“All Senator Hanson has done in this place is spread hate and division,” said Senator Payman.
“I’m very honored to be living rent-free in Senator Hanson’s mind, but I think you have better things to do than worry about Section 44.”
Senator Hanson responded by insisting that Senator Payman’s “eligibility to sit in the Australian Senate remains under a cloud.”
Senator Hanson’s legal team claimed her comment about Senator Faruqi (pictured) was not racist as she had previously told another senator to “go back” to New Zealand.
He said the strict standards applied to elected representatives during the 2017 electability crisis, in which 15 politicians lost their seats because they held dual citizenship, had not been applied to Payman.
“If she had been elected in 2016 instead of 2022, she would have been referred to the High Court like everyone else,” Senator Hanson said.
“If she had been elected Conservative in 2022, I suspect she would be referred straight away.”
The One Nation leader criticized the Greens for attempting to block the submission of documents raising concerns about Senator Payman’s electability.
‘The Greens have never respected our Constitution. “Marxists always despise the institutions of democracy,” he said.
“I’m sure they would love to dismantle the Constitution and replace it with some version of the communist manifesto.”
Senator Hanson called on Senator Payman to provide “much more evidence” of her attempts to revoke her Afghan citizenship, arguing that failure to do so would set a “dangerous precedent.”
“There is a very good reason why the architects of our Constitution required that our elected representatives have undivided loyalties,” said Senator Hanson.
“It is also the expectation of the Australian people that no foreign national or dual citizen should be allowed to occupy the seat of our democracy.”
Senator Thorpe (pictured) said on the Today show on Thursday that she has “no regrets” about “standing up” against racism.
Her comments came after Senator Payman accused her of racism by listing previous comments made by Senator Hanson, including his first speech in which he said Australia was “in danger of being swamped by Asians” and that “Aboriginality is already would not exist” if his party was in power.
‘If that’s not racist, what is?’ Senator Payman shouted as she slammed her fist on the table in the Senate.
Independent Ralph Babet could be seen over Senator Payman’s shoulder, trying to contain his surprise at the outburst.
‘Oh, isn’t that racist?’ – Senator Payman added sarcastically.
‘Someone bring the dictionary because Senator Hanson doesn’t know the definition of racism.
‘The fact that you told Senator Faruqi just a few weeks ago ‘fuck off and go back to Pakistan’; Not only are you vindictive, evil and nasty, but you bring misfortune to the human race. There is no dignity as a senator in this prestigious place.
Senator Thorpe could be heard repeatedly shouting: “You are a convicted racist!”
Senator Thorpe (left) could be heard repeatedly shouting: “You are a convicted racist!” to Senator Hanson (R) on Wednesday
In a speech to parliament on Thursday, following her suspension from the chamber for the remainder of the year in session, Senator Thorpe branded all of Australia “racist” and cited her activism as the reason for her ban.
“This is a very racist and divided country,” he told reporters.
‘But that’s not what we want, we want peace, we want liberation, we want self-determination. We want to decide our own destiny, not this place with the local police.
Senator Thorpe had previously said on the Today show that she has “no regrets” about “standing up” against racism.