HUNTER Senator Brian Burston has defended his part in One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s parliamentary burqa stunt on Thursday, saying: “I could have been involved in a terrorist plot and who would know?”
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Mr Burston insisted Ms Hanson’s wearing of the burqa before a speech calling for it to be banned was about security, after he escorted her into the Senate and identified her.
He denied that it disrespected the parliament, and said it was also because some Muslim women had no choice about wearing the garment.
Mr Burston was unaware of a recent study showing a three-fold increase in the number of verbal and physical attacks on Muslim women after a proposal in 2014 to ban women wearing full-face coverings in the public gallery at Federal Parliament.
The study found perpetrators of Islamophobic attacks in Australia overwhelmingly targeted women, with nearly 68 per cent of 243 verbal, physical and online attacks against women.
“I wouldn’t like to link the two together, what Pauline did and violence against women wearing the burqa,” he said.
Mr Burston was told about the burqa stunt about 30 minutes before entering the Senate chamber. He knew it would be controversial but “I think it was a good idea”.
Mr Burston denied any links between One Nation’s targeted criticism of Islam and Donald Trump’s targeted and implied criticism of non-white groups including Mexicans and black Americans, saying “One Nation does not condone violence against anyone, full stop”.
He described as “very disappointing” former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke’s comment that the violent Charlottesville protests were about white supremacists fulfilling “the promises of Donald Trump” by taking “our country back”.
Asked if One Nation supporters could include extremists and white supremacists, Mr Burston said he was “not aware of any supporters who would fit into that category” although “if you’d asked me that question 18 years ago I would have said yes”.
Mr Burston, who attended the “amazing and extraordinary” Trump inauguration ceremony in Washington in January, said he was disappointed with his presidency, and could only believe half of what Trump said.
“It’s been disappointing up to this stage, I must say. I’ve got to be honest.”