Burqa protest blasted

ERIN PEARSON
A GEELONG man behind a national campaign to ban burqas has denied racist motivations for his Facebook initiative.
But the Ban the Burqa Day protest has drawn criticism from the city’s peak multicultural services provider.
Bradley Hutchinson, who begun the Ban the Burqa Day page with Kye Keating, said their aim was to prevent wearers of the Islamic women’s garment from concealing their identities in public.
“I’ve been called racist a good many times. I’m anything but,” Mr Hutchinson said.
“I have no problems with foreigners as long as those that live here do so by our rules, our customs.”
More than 13,800 people have joined the page’s silent protest to highlight the “serious threat” of burqas to public safety.
The Facebook group wants “no one” to have the right to conceal their identity in public.
Mr Hutchinson said the burqa was a symbol of reluctance to integrate.
He wanted all head and facial coverings banned in public places.
“Policies in most workplaces prevent people wearing motorcycle helmets, balaclavas, ski masks or anything that conceals a person’s identity from being served – we’re seeking a blanket ban.”
Mr Hutchinson said some might consider his opinion extreme but he felt passionate about the issue.
He wanted people who had joined the Facebook page to wear identity-concealing garments on Monday to protest burqas.
“The idea is for us to go about our normal lives, just concealing our identity to highlight the security concerns that we believe are genuine.”
Mr Hutchinson said a controversial New South Wales incident involving a woman concealing her identify in a burqa from police had prompted the campaign.
Police charged Carnita Matthews with making a false statement for alleging an officer tried to tear off her burqa. Her jail sentence was dropped when prosecutors were unable to prove her identity when she made the statement.
Michael Martinez, chief executive officer of Geelong multicultural services provider Diversitat, slammed the protest.
“I haven’t seen anyone wearing a burqa in Geelong, so I don’t know where these boys are coming from,” Mr Martinez said.
“I understand the outfit can be confronting for some people but the numbers of people who wear them are minute.
“We’ve had Pauline Hanson try to get a foothold in Geelong before with no success and you go to Pako Festa and don’t see anyone complaining about multiculturalism.
“I’m not sure what these boys have to prove.”