Australia's race discrimination commissioner has condemned recent anti-Muslim remarks by Pauline Hanson, leader of the right-wing populist One Nation party, saying the comments amounted to a "green light to violence," local media reported Saturday.
Hanson said in an interview with Sky News last week that there were "no good Muslims."
She later partially backtracked on the remarks, which the Australian Federal Police confirmed have been the subject of criminal complaints.
Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman said he was deeply concerned about Hanson's comments.
"When a public figure, a politician, demonizes and dehumanizes a whole group of people, that's a green light to violence from others," he told broadcaster SBS News.
"It emboldens others to act violently toward that group," he added.
Sivaraman said there is a clear link between dehumanizing language and violence.
"It's making out that a group of people are somehow lesser or don't belong or are bad, and that's exactly what she's doing," he said.
On Wednesday, Hanson issued a conditional apology, stating: "If I've offended anyone out there that doesn't believe in Sharia law or multiple marriages or wants to bring ISIS brides in or people from Gaza who believe in the caliphate ... then I apologize to you for my comment."
"But in general, that's what they want — a world caliphate — and I'm not going to apologize," she added.
