Hanson refuses to remove cartoon labelling Hastie a traitor
Pauline Hanson refused to remove a cartoon calling SAS veteran Andrew Hastie a traitor eight times. Parliament condemned her for this.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson refused to remove a Please Explain cartoon from social media that calls SAS veteran Andrew Hastie a traitor. Hastie testified against Ben Roberts-Smith in his failed defamation case.
Roberts-Smith has since been charged with war crimes. Hanson wants Hastie's Western Australian seat of Canning and the battle has turned personal.
Hastie called Hanson and her ally Barnaby Joyce "lying cowards" over the slur. Federal Parliament united against Hanson this week.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and other MPs demanded she take down the cartoon. They asked her to explain why veterans who spoke against war crimes are traitors.
Joyce stepped back from the cartoon, saying he respected Hastie's service.
- 8 times
- Cartoon mentions traitor
- Canning, Western Australia
- Hastie's seat
- 26 other veterans
- Combat veterans testified
- charged with war crimes
- Roberts-Smith status
Why it mattersThe incident shows a major political figure attacking the integrity of a serving MP and military veterans who testified truthfully in court about alleged war crimes.
AustraliaA senior Australian MP's military record and honour have been attacked by a rival political party leader, and Parliament is divided over whether calling war-crimes witnesses traitors crosses a line in Australian politics.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 19 h ago
