Labor has condemned as disgusting and inappropriate Pauline Hanson’s “crass” twisting of London police advice to people caught up in terrorist incidents to promote her own anti-Islam agenda.

In return, the One Nation leader labelled Opposition Leader Bill Shorten a fool and said it was a mistake to open Australia’s borders decades ago.

As the latest terrorist attack in London was still unfolding on Sunday morning (AEST), Senator Hanson tweeted: “Stop Islamic immigration before it is too late.”

Her message was accompanied by a graphic that mimicked a “Run Hide Tell” message the Metropolitan Police tweeted earlier to advise people what to do if they found themselves caught up in the attacks.

She posted the same graphic on Facebook with the message: “We must stop radical Islam numbers from increasing here in Australia.”

Stop Islamic immigration before it is too late. #auspol pic.twitter.com/u9nmVc9MaW

— Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) June 4, 2017

Mr Shorten said to rush in so quickly to make a political point was “crass, idiotic and disgusting”.

“We don’t even know in full what’s happened and now what we’ve got is people using this for the crassest of political messages within hours of this event happening,” he told reporters in Melbourne.

“I just say to Pauline and everyone else, hold your horses, you’re in politics, whatever point you want to make you will get that opportunity.”

Senator Hanson returned fire on social media, saying the people of Britain had been let down by their leaders.

“It’s so frustrating to see fools like Bill Shorten making the same mistakes,” she tweeted.

“Labor started this under Whitlam, Frazer (sic) was almost as bad. Rudd & Gillard opened the borders. Bill Shorten will make the same mistake.”

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The official police message Senator Hanson co-opted urged people to run to a place of safety, hide and turn their phones to silent, and tell the police by calling emergency services when safe to do so.

Her version says: “Australia is tired of Labor, the Greens and the Liberals RUNNING their campaign that Islam is good for Australia.”

It says Australia won’t hide “the fact that terrorism is related to the Islamic teachings” and that Australians are tired of telling politicians “Islam is incompatible with Australian values”.

Senator Hanson has spent the past week in a dispute with Australia’s spy chief over whether there are links between Middle Eastern refugees and terrorism and she campaigned last year on a Muslim immigration ban and no new mosques.