A challenge to Pauline Hanson

June 4, 1997
Issue 

Aboriginal activist Yaluritja (Clarrie Isaacs) and Reihana Mohideen from Asian Australians Against Further Intimidation, who are speaking on the Green Left Weekly Justice Tour: Fighting Hanson's Racism, have issued a challenge to Pauline Hanson to debate them publicly.

"She's been slandering our communities using the privileges of her parliamentary office, yet, since thousands of people started protesting at her public meetings, she cries that her right to free speech is being denied", said Yaluritja.

"The Justice Tour is about exercising our freedom of speech — our right to speak out and act against the injustices being carried out against our communities", he said.

Mohideen believes that "Pauline Hanson will almost undoubtedly avoid a public debate. Her campaign of bigotry is aimed at intimidating and silencing Aborigines, Asians and anti-racists. But that is why she must be challenged and why her meetings of hatred must be protested against."

While the establishment media bring us images of a weeping Kim Beazley and a hollow personal apology from John Howard in response to the "stolen children" report, Green Left demands justice, not a fake reconciliation. We expose the hypocrisy of a government which attacks native title and cuts Aboriginal education, health and welfare funding, while pretending concern.

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