The Australian Aboriginal senator Lidia Thorpe this Monday tarnished the visit of King Charles III of the United Kingdom to Australia by rebuking him during a ceremony in Parliament for the colonial legacy and abuses against indigenous people.
“Give us back our land (…) what you stole from our people,” shouted independent senator Lidia Thrope, at the end of the speech in the Canberra Parliament by Charles III, head of state of Australia, which is governed by a monarchical system with democracy. parliamentary
The senator also blurted out: “You are not our king,” and condemned the “genocide” that was committed against the native peoples of Australia, as well as the looting of “bones, skulls” and the theft of indigenous babies, before being forced to leave the room.
Senator Thorpe, dressed in a traditional kangaroo skin, had also previously turned on her back when “God save the king” was chanted in Parliament, in protest at the visit of Charles III and Queen Camilla, who are on a tour in Australia between October 18 and 23 and in Samoa until the 26th.
Thorpe’s intervention came shortly after Charles III gave a speech today before hundreds of attendees, including the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, in which he highlighted the “long and sometimes difficult path of reconciliation” with the indigenous people.
The senator later explained in a statement that she tried unsuccessfully to deliver a “notice” to the monarch to denounce the British monarchy’s complicity in the “genocide” against Aboriginal people in Australia.
The senator, who was part of the Greens group until it became independent in 2023, also demanded that Australia have a treaty with indigenous people, who represent 3.8% of the 27 million Australians.
After the incident, the Australian Monarchist League, the most influential pro-monarchist group in the southern country, called in a statement for the resignation of the aboriginal senator.
“His childish act has in no way diminished the gratitude and pride that thousands of Australians have for our country, its history, its people and its good system of government. In fact, it has probably only strengthened those feelings,” said the Monarchist League.
The official visit of Charles III and Queen Camilla, who arrived in Sydney last Friday, fueled the country’s division between those who support the monarchy and those who call for Australia to become a republic.
On its Instagram profile, the Greens party posted a message with a photograph in which you can see the British monarchs and another with a banner that says “empire built on a genocide.”
Greens senator Barbara Pocock, who defines herself as a Republican, told the Australian state channel ABC that the colonial legacy is a “sad story” for many indigenous people and stated that this institution does not represent the current country.
More context: King Charles booed in Australia: “You committed genocide against our people”
Despite criticism, visit of Charles III is well received by Australian authorities
Despite the criticism, the British kings were received with welcome speeches by the Labor prime minister and the leader of the opposition, Peter Dutton.
In his speech, Albanese praised the character and humor of Charles III and Camilla’s charitable work, highlighting that the affection between the monarchs and the Australian people is mutual throughout the various visits to the country in recent years.
“What never changes is the truth recorded on every page of this story, that their majesties are very welcome here,” said the prime minister, who highlighted the monarch’s respect for the debate of Australians in relation to the British Crown.
“Nothing remains motionless,” said Albanese, who also met privately with Charles III, who held another meeting with the opposition leader.
The prime minister does not hide that he is a republican, but last January he stated that a referendum on the monarchy is not a priority and there is no scheduled date to hold it.
As part of their official agenda, Charles and Camilla visited the War Memorial and the Botanical Garden, while, separately, the monarch met with officials from the CSIRO research center and the queen with activists against gender violence, among other events.
Australia held a referendum in 1999 to decide whether to become a republic, but the no vote won, and last year another for the recognition of indigenous rights was also rejected by the majority of voters.
With information from EFE.
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