Thousands of Leftist and socialist ideologies motivated university and school students across Australia are expected to skip classes to protest against One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, intensifying a political debate over whether students should participate in demonstrations during school hours.
The protests, organised by the National Union of Students under the banner “Students Say No To Hanson”, are planned in major cities including Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
NUS representative Felix Hughes told Nine News that One Nation’s policies were fundamentally opposed to the interests of young Australians.
“She has opposed university funding, she has voted for increasing debt levels of students, she has voted for increasing housing unaffordability for students, she has opposed workers rights,” Hughes said.
“She has never been on the side of students.”
Hanson has hit back, accusing schools of encouraging students to adopt particular political views.
“Schools should teach young Australians how to think, not what to think,” Hanson said.
“If you want to protest something, protest why your parents’ wages are going backwards and the cost of everything is going up.”
“The Labor Greens government is selling out your future, and you’ll inherit a weaker, poorer and less safe country,” she added.
“Whether you know it or not, One Nation and I are fighting for you.”
Liberal Senator James Paterson also criticised students participating in the protests during school hours.
“Primary and secondary school students should be in school, and they should be learning,” Paterson said.
“Frankly, I think there are better things for young people to be learning than going to protests.”
Education Minister Jason Clare similarly said students should remain in classrooms during school hours.
“I want kids at school learning,” Clare said. “If people want to protest on the weekend, then fill your boots, but I want you at school when school is on, learning.”
Hanson and One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce have also questioned the influence of teachers and educational institutions over the protests.
Joyce claimed students were being influenced by “socialist teachers”.
“Do you honestly believe … that three weeks ago those children of their own volition were saying: ‘I think I’m going to have a political protest against a political party?’” Joyce said.
“No, they just wanted to go to school and play soccer with their mates.”
The protests come as One Nation continues to gain support in Australian politics, placing Hanson and the party at the centre of an increasingly heated debate over education, political influence and the direction of Australian society.
Protesters are expected to gather at Sydney Town Hall, the State Library in Melbourne and South Australia’s Parliament House in Adelaide, with further demonstrations planned in other locations.
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