By Daphne Anson
There go the Aussie Senate’s Greens this afternoon. Showing their attachment to democratic freedom of speech by walking out on a senator’s maiden speech because they don’t agree with what she is saying. Yep,on the far right of the picture is Greens leader Richard di Natale, and on the far left (seemingly unable to resist a parting peep at the cynosure of the assembly) is Lee Rhiannon.
The red-haired lady all eyes and ears are on is, of course, Pauline Hanson. I hold no brief for her or her political views in general, but the boycott reflects more on the Greens than on her.
 |
| How about hate speech against Jews and Israel, Senator? |
As reported by the Australian Associated Press:
‘Pauline Hanson has declared Australia is in danger of being swamped by Muslims and is calling for a halt to all immigration.
Echoing her first speech to parliament 20 years ago when as the member for Oxley she made the same warning about Asians, Senator Hanson warned Australia would be living under Sharia law if it didn’t act.
How very democratic of you, Senator Rice Muslim neighbourhoods were suffering from an escalation in crime and decline in social cohesion, she said.
She used her first speech to parliament as a Senator on Wednesday night to call for a ban on Muslim immigration, as well as a halt to all immigration.
“We are in danger of being swamped by Muslims who bear a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own,” she said.
“If we don’t make changes now there will be no hope in the future.
“Have no doubt we will be living under Sharia law and treated as second-class citizens with second-class rights if we keep heading down the path with the attitude ‘she’ll be right mate’.”
Greens senators walked out half way through her speech, with Liberal senators yelling “stunt” as the minor party left the chamber.
Senator Hanson offered to personally take to the airport anyone not willing to become Australian and give their undivided loyalty to the nation.
She declared Islam was partly a religion but had a political agenda, saying Muslims were imprisoned at almost three times the average rate and unemployed at two to three times the national average.
She warned of radicalisation on the streets and slammed political leaders for urging Australians to be tolerant, insisting more Muslims were going to fight with Islamic State than the Australian army.
“How should we tell the difference? There is no sign saying good Muslim or bad Muslim,” she said..
“How many lives will be lost or destroyed trying to determine who is good or who is bad?”
She called for a ban on Muslim immigration, the burqa and construction of new mosques or Islamic schools while insisting existing ones be monitored.
All immigration should be halted until Australia cleaned up its own backyard, she said, insisting Australians were suffering from massive migrant intake….
Greens senators later took to Twitter vowing to call out Senator Hanson’s “racism”.
Liberal senator Linda Reynolds hit back, tweeting: “we may not all agree with what she says but in Aust she has the right to say it”.
Senator Hanson joked about the walk-out in her speech.
“I can feel the Greens cringing – no they’ve left – at the thought that I could possibly be here for six years.”‘
Far better, of course, had the Greens, instead of boycotting Hanson’s speech from at least the hallfway mark, remained in their place to hear all of what she had to say with a view to rebutting her points in a fair and civilised manner. But they are too agenda- and gimmick-ridden a bunch to conduct themselves like Liberal former prime minister John Howard.
‘John Howard told Lateline that Senator Hanson was “entitled to be treated in a respectful fashion by the rest of the Parliament”.
In response to the Greens walking out, Mr Howard said: “I think that reflects poorly on them”.
He told 774 ABC Melbourne earlier that it would be a mistake to generalise Ms Hanson and her supporters as bigots.
“When I was in politics I always thought it was a mistake and it was inaccurate and it was unfair to brand her supporters as racist and it remains my view, and I don’t think anything is gained by those allegations,” he said.
Mr Howard said the Parliament should deal with the newly elected senator on the merits of individual issues.
“When she was wrong I said so and when she wasn’t wrong I didn’t say anything,” he said.’
Of course, despite their radicalism, despite their feminism, the Israel-bashing Greens are shtum regarding Islam’s benighted practices, lumping all criticism of Islam, even the un-Western misogyny lurking within Islamic teaching and sharia, under the “Islamophobia” veil.
Just another aspect of their sheer hypocrisy, of course.
For Andrew Bolt’s thoughts on the speech see here
Leave a Reply