An Australian federal court has upheld a ruling that Senator Pauline Hanson racially discriminated against Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi by telling her to “go back to Pakistan.”

Australia’s Federal Court has unanimously rejected an appeal by far-right One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, upholding an earlier ruling that found she racially discriminated against Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi by telling her to “go back to Pakistan” in a social media post.

The case stemmed from a 2022 post on X (formerly Twitter), in which Hanson responded to Faruqi’s criticism of the British monarchy following Queen Elizabeth II’s death by telling the Pakistan-born senator to “pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan.” Faruqi later filed legal action, arguing the remarks were racist and unlawful under Australia’s anti-discrimination laws.

A three-judge panel of the Full Federal Court dismissed Hanson’s appeal, affirming a 2024 decision that the comments amounted to racial discrimination and were not protected by the constitutional right to freedom of political communication. The court found the remarks were reasonably likely to offend, insult, humiliate, or intimidate Faruqi and members of Muslim and migrant communities.

Following the ruling, Faruqi described the judgment as a victory against racism and hate speech, saying it reaffirmed that “hate speech is not free speech.” Hanson expressed disappointment with the outcome and indicated she intends to seek permission to appeal the case to the High Court of Australia.

The judgment is being viewed as a significant legal precedent defining the limits of political expression and reinforcing protections against racial vilification under Australian law.