One Nation is surfing a wave of anger and disillusionment with the major parties. Much of that momentum is fuelled by the cost-of-living crisis—but the party is also fomenting Islamophobia to harden up its supporters.
Leader Pauline Hanson spelled it out, saying, “You say, ‘Well, there’s good Muslims out there.’ How can you tell me there are good Muslims?”
Having created the media furore she was hoping for, Hanson followed up with a classic non-apology, saying “sorry” if she “offended anyone out there that doesn’t believe in sharia law, or multiple marriages, or wants to bring ISIS brides in, or people from Gaza that believe in a caliphate”.
But she added, “In general, that is what they want—a world caliphate. And I am not going to apologise … I will have my say now before it’s too late.”
Sentiments like this are leading to frightening levels of abuse and assault aimed at Muslims. Even before One Nation’s rapid rise, Islamophobic incidents—including physical attacks, verbal harassment, people being spat on and rape threats—had more than doubled in two years.
Muslim communities around the country are now reporting racist incidents at an alarming rate.
Lakemba mosque in western Sydney received three threats in the run-up to Ramadan in February. Gamel Kheir, the secretary of the Lebanese Muslim Association, which operates the mosque, told media, “This is the most alarming situation we’ve ever had since Cronulla.”
Later that same month, two mosques in Western Australia were identified as targets in a foiled terrorist attack.
The Islamic Council of Victoria had to close its mosque in West Melbourne on 6 March because of a suspicious package, which turned out to be safe but Islamophobic. In the Victorian city of Ballarat, a Muslim community dinner was attacked on 8 March by a far right supporter shouting “fuck Allah, fuck Islam”.
It’s in this context that One Nation is soaring. The Roy Morgan poll on 10 March showed One Nation on 23.5 per cent just behind Labor (26.5) and ahead of the Coalition (22.5).
Labor stokes racism
Labor has only itself to blame. It has taken Australia to war in the Gulf and continues to be complicit in the genocide in Gaza. It has cancelled electricity subsidies that took the edge off household bills. It is threatening cuts to services—but not the military—in its budget in May.
With its dominating majority it could announce a windfall tax on the liquid natural gas exporters who stand to make huge profits as gas prices soar because of the war.
Instead, in a cheap bid for popular support it turns to racist measures that disgust many of its voters and give legitimacy to One Nation’s agenda.
So NSW Labor Premier Chris Minns refused to apologise to Muslims beaten up by cops while they prayed at the end of the anti-Herzog rally.
The day after Hanson made her “no good Muslims” comments, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared that 34 so-called ISIS brides and their children would get no help to return from Syria and would face “the full force” of the law.
When the Prime Minister implies that children are a threat because they’re Muslim, it’s a free gift to Hanson.
Then just days after granting asylum to Iranian women footballers, Labor rushed through legislation to bar the arrival of people with valid temporary visas if they come from designated war zones.
This simply reinforces the idea that people from Iran, Gaza or Lebanon—mostly Muslims—are a threat.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said, “If you get a visa at a time that your country was not a war zone, and then it becomes a war zone, there are visas out there that in the current context, we would not have issued.”
But anti-racists are getting organised. In Melbourne, the Refugee Action Collective held a forum to unite against the racist agenda from Labor, the Coalition and One Nation.
Two hundred people packed Trades Hall to hear Senator Lidia Thorpe, refugee and migrant speakers, Jews and Muslims, the state secretary of the CPSU SPSF and state Labor and Greens MPs.
The meeting voted to endorse broad-based mobilisations against the far right when they call street rallies. And it endorsed a RAC rally at the State Library at 2pm on Saturday 21 March, the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
It’s important that anti-racists challenge One Nation. But a fight against racism has to start with taking on Labor’s racist agenda that fuels the rise of the far right.
By David Glanz
