In a deliberate act of political theatre, far-right Australian Senator Pauline Hanson, the leader of the One Nation party, ignited a fierce firestorm by appearing in the Senate wearing a burqa. This highly controversial move was calculated: it immediately followed the defeat of her bill aimed at banning full-face coverings nationwide. The stunt drew immediate and severe condemnation from her parliamentary colleagues, including Muslim members, who denounced the action as “blatant racism,” deeply “disrespectful,” and a direct mockery of an entire religion. When Hanson defiantly ignored requests to remove the garment, the Senate session ground to a halt. She was eventually suspended from the chamber, marking the senator’s second use of the burqa as a protest prop in her sustained, anti-immigration and anti-Islam campaign.