Hanson lashes out as thousands of Aussie students take part in nationwide protests against One Nation

Pauline Hanson has hit back at thousands of students walking out of classrooms across Australia to protest against her One Nation party, telling young Australians they should be protesting the cost-of-living crisis instead.

Thousands of high school and university students are expected to walk out of class on Thursday around lunchtime as part of a national “Students Say No to Hanson” day of action organised by the National Union of Students.

In a post to Facebook on Thursday, Senator Hanson said schools should teach young Australians “how to think, not what to think”.

“If you want to protest something, protest why your parents’ wages are going backwards and the cost of everything is going up,” she wrote.

“The Labor Greens government is selling out your future, and you’ll inherit a weaker, poorer and less safe country.

“Whether you know it or not, One Nation and I are fighting for you.”

The protests are being held across major cities and towns, with demonstrations planned across eight Australian cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Wollongong and Newcastle.

Organisers have called on young Australians to “fight against racism” and “stand up against the far right”.

The action comes as One Nation’s support has surged, with the party’s primary vote now at 26 per cent according to the latest Roy Morgan poll.

That compares with about four per cent in June 2020, when high school student Yerin Park walked out of class to march to Canberra’s Parliament House in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Now an Australian National University student, the 23-year-old is organising Thursday’s Canberra protest.

Park said she was concerned about Senator Hanson’s rise and its potential impact on Australian politics and society.

“I’m hoping this will be the start of a real kind of movement,” she said.

“We want to make sure we lay the best basis for ... an anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-bigot response in Australia.”

The National Union of Students has also pointed to Senator Hanson’s record on education, saying she has voted against policies including free TAFE and increased funding for public schools.

Union general secretary Akash Nagarajan said students were increasingly concerned about issues affecting their lives.

“Pauline Hanson actually doesn’t stand for things that benefit students’ lives....(and) a lot of students are galvanised by that,” the 21-year-old said.

Senator Hanson used a National Press Club address in June to call for a monocultural Australia before appearing on a podcast hosted by British far-right activist and convicted criminal Tommy Robinson during a work trip to the UK last month.

Monash University senior politics lecturer Benjamin Moffitt said walking out was one of the most effective ways for students, including those too young to vote, to express their dissent.

He said the protests could also prompt voters who were considering supporting One Nation to question their position.

— With AAP