Thousands of school and university students have been expected to take part in rallies across Australia as young protesters turn their attention to Pauline Hanson and One Nation in one of the most significant student-led political demonstrations in recent years.
Under the banner “Students Say No to Hanson”, students have walked out of classrooms and gathered in cities around the country, accusing One Nation of promoting policies and rhetoric they believe divide Australians.
The demonstrations have also triggered another argument: should school students be leaving class to take part in political protests at all?
The rallies have quickly become about more than Pauline Hanson. They have opened a broader debate about racism, immigration, political activism, free speech and whether schools should play any role in encouraging — or discouraging — young Australians from taking political action.
Students take to the streets
In Sydney, hundreds of high-school and university students gathered around Town Hall as part of the national action.
Similar demonstrations were organised in other Australian cities and regional centres, with protesters carrying signs opposing racism and One Nation.
Organisers have said the movement is intended to challenge what they see as the growing influence of far-right politics in Australia.
Among the chants heard at demonstrations were messages supporting migrants and multiculturalism, while students also carried signs accusing Hanson and One Nation of dividing Australians.
The National Union of Students has been involved in coordinating the national demonstrations, along with a number of student activist organisations.
The protests come at a time when One Nation has been receiving renewed political attention, making the student response particularly significant.
Why Pauline Hanson is being targeted
Pauline Hanson has been one of Australia’s most controversial political figures for decades.
Her views on immigration, multiculturalism and Australian identity have repeatedly generated fierce debate.
Supporters see Hanson as a politician willing to raise issues that major parties are reluctant to discuss, particularly immigration levels and national identity.
Her critics argue that some of her rhetoric unfairly targets minority communities and contributes to racial and religious division.
For the students protesting this week, that history is central to their campaign.
They argue that young Australians should challenge political movements they believe threaten multiculturalism or discriminate against certain groups.
But Hanson strongly rejects those accusations.
Hanson hits back
Hanson has condemned the student walkouts and accused left-wing activists and what she described as “socialist” teachers of influencing young people.
She argues that students should be receiving an education rather than being encouraged to leave school for political demonstrations.
Her supporters have made a similar argument, questioning whether teenagers fully understand the policies and political history behind the protests.
Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce and other political figures have also questioned whether students should be encouraged to miss classes to attend demonstrations.
That criticism has turned the rallies into a debate about education as much as politics.
Are students independently exercising their democratic rights?
Or are political organisations using schools and universities to recruit young people into political campaigns?
Those questions are now being argued across social media and Australian politics.
Should students be allowed to walk out of school?
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has acknowledged that young Australians have the right to express political views but has also made clear that students are expected to attend school.
Some schools reportedly warned families that absences connected to the demonstrations would be treated as unauthorised.
Supporters of the protests argue that political participation has historically played an important role in student movements around the world.
Students have marched against wars, racism, climate policy and government decisions for generations.
They argue that peacefully demonstrating is itself part of participating in a democracy.
Critics, however, say there is an important distinction between protesting outside school hours and abandoning classes for political activism.
They argue schools should remain politically neutral and concentrate on education.
A bigger political battle
The protests come as Australian politics continues to wrestle with immigration, cost-of-living pressures, housing affordability and growing dissatisfaction with the major political parties.
Those issues have created political opportunities for smaller parties including One Nation.
Hanson has built much of her political career by arguing that Australia’s political establishment ignores concerns held by ordinary voters.
Her opponents say that frustration should not be directed towards migrants or minority groups.
For many of the young protesters, that is exactly why they say they are demonstrating.
They want their generation to send a visible message that they reject politics based on race or cultural background.
One Nation supporters, meanwhile, argue that opposing high immigration or questioning multicultural policies should not automatically be characterised as racism.
That disagreement is unlikely to disappear after the protesters go home.
Young Australians making themselves heard
Perhaps the biggest message emerging from the demonstrations is that a section of Australia’s younger generation is becoming increasingly willing to participate directly in politics.
Rather than simply posting opinions online, students have left classrooms and university campuses and taken their views onto city streets.
Whether Australians agree with their message or strongly oppose it, the protests have succeeded in putting Pauline Hanson and One Nation at the centre of another national political debate.
They have also raised uncomfortable questions about where political education ends and political activism begins.
For Hanson, the rallies are evidence that young Australians are being influenced by political activists.
For the protesters, they are evidence that young Australians are perfectly capable of deciding what sort of country they want to inherit.
And that leaves Australians with a question likely to generate very different answers:
Should students be applauded for standing up for what they believe in — or should political protests wait until the school bell rings?