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Australia’s first female Muslim senator has used her maiden speech to warn of the dangerous “normalisation” of racism by media and politicians, linking it directly to the more blatant discrimination by the likes of Fraser Anning.
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi on Tuesday condemned the use of “dog-whistling and race-baiting as an electoral tactic”, revealing she had been the subject of thousands of racist and sexist messages and letters during her time in New South Wales’ upper house.
“The reality is that my presence in the Senate is an affront for some,” Faruqi said.
“They are offended that people of colour, and Muslims, have the audacity to not only exist, but to open our mouths and join the public debate.”