9 Mar 2017 – Protesters have crashed a Pauline Hanson campaign event in Perth, clashing with the far-right senator’s supporters and police.
At least one person was arrested in the protest outside the Paddington Ale House, where Senator Hanson held a campaign event on Thursday evening.
Dozens of police lined the entrance to the Mt Hawthorn pub to allow Hanson’s supporters to enter the One Nation event to cries of “shame” from the protesters.
There were several scuffles as Ms Hanson’s supporters tried to wade their way through the vocal crowd.
Among the crowd of One Nation supporters was 18-year-old Tyler Walsh, who said he thought the protesters were hypocrites.
“I just think the protesters are a bit hypocritical because they have all the signs out saying ‘fascism’, ‘racism’, but really they’re the ones being the fascists and stopping us from having a good time here.”
Outside the pub, Zoe Zarzycki told journalists that she attended the protest to show the rest of Australia that Senator Hanson’s policies were not welcome in the West.
“I think her policies are fundamentally racist, sexist and and anti-queer and they’re not coming from any place of reasoning, it’s just hatred,” Ms Zarzycki said.
“We’re here to let people know that its not OK and most Australians are not OK with Pauline Hanson, that even while One Nation has gained support, there’s so much push back.”
Senator Hanson told journalists that she expects WA Nationals leader Brendan Grylls will lose his Pilbara seat to One Nation, which also expects to pick up the Nationals-held Kalgoorlie.
