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Australian Senator Lydia Thorpe interrupts proceedings as Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend a parliamentary reception at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday. (AFP photo)
Thorpe hit the headlines on Monday after taking a swipe at King Charles shortly after his address to Australia’s Parliament House in Canberra
Australian Indigenous Senator Lydia Thorpe hit the headlines on Monday after taking a swipe at King Charles shortly after his address to the Australian Parliament House in Canberra.
Thorpe, an independent senator, shouted anti-colonial slogans at King Charles, shocking MPs and other dignitaries present in Parliament. As security escorted her out of the hall, she continued to voice her protests.
“Give us back the land! Give us what you stole from us!” she screamed during a nearly minute-long diatribe as she was led out of the hall.
“This is not your land; you are not my king,” she added, condemning what she described as the “genocide” of indigenous Australians by European settlers.
Who is Lydia Thorpe?
Lydia Thorpe, 51, comes from a prominent family of Aboriginal community organizers and activists. According to The Guardian report, she identified herself as a Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung indigenous woman.
Known for her eye-catching political stunts and fierce opposition to the monarchy, Thorpe was sworn into office in 2022. During her swearing-in, she raised her right fist as she reluctantly swore to serve Queen Elizabeth II, who was then head of state of Australia.
“I, Sovereign, Lydia Thorpe, do solemnly and earnestly swear to be true and do true allegiance to the colonizing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” she had declared, drawing a rebuke from a Senate clerk.
“Senator Thorpe, Senator Thorpe, you are required to recite the oath as printed on the card,” said House President Sue Lines.
Why is King Charles in Australia?
King Charles, 75, is currently on a nine-day tour of Australia and Samoa, marking his first major overseas trip since his life-changing cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
The visit is Charles’ 17th trip to Australia and his first since becoming king in 2022. It also marks the first visit to Australia by a reigning British monarch since his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, traveled there in 2011.
Australia was a British colony for over a century, during which thousands of Australian Aborigines were killed and entire communities were displaced. Although the country gained de facto independence in 1901, it never became a full-fledged republic, with King Charles currently serving as its head of state.
(With information from agencies)
