KKK worn protesters oppose burqa at Australian parliament

A group of three men wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit, a motorbike helmet and a Muslim niqab calling for a nationwide ban on burqas have attempted to enter Australia's Parliament House.

Sergio Redegalli, Nick Folkes and Victor Waterson were stopped by security outside parliament on Monday morning and were told that they could not enter parliament before they removed their headwear.

The trio, who called their movement "faceless," opposed burqas or niqabs being worn in public spaces.

Earlier this month, parliament said anyone visiting the building with their face covered would have to sit in a separate area of the public gallery.

The policy has sparked some criticism within Australia. It was revoked last Monday and was replaced with new regulations that all visitors wearing face coverings would be allowed in all public areas of Parliament House.

However, it said that face covering would have to "be removed temporarily" at the front door so that the security staff could " identify any person who may have been banned from entering Parliament House or who may be known, or discovered, to be a security risk."

Redegalli, wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit -- a hooded white full- length cape that has come to represent violence and racism against black Americans -- labeled the amended regulations as "sexist" and called for a nationwide ban on facial coverings.

"Because we're males, there's a bit of sexism there," Redegalli told reporters outside Parliament. "It seems you're allowed to wear a full face covering into Parliament if you're a Muslim woman, but no other group is allowed to have that same privilege."

"No one should be walking up the public forecourt in the public domain, hidden from sight," Redegalli said.

According to Fairfax, the three men also voiced strong opinions on the "political ideology" of Islam, suggesting it was "contrary" to Australian beliefs.

The three protesters described themselves as supporters of the Party for Freedom, the Australia First party and Liberal party, and said they wanted to make clear that they did not support the Ku Klux Klan.