An Australian senator, Lidia Thorpe, interrupted King Charles during his speech at Parliament House in Canberra. She shouted that he is not from Australia and accused him of genocide against Indigenous people. Security had to remove her after about a minute of shouting.
Thorpe’s actions received criticism from Aunty Violet Sheridan, an Aboriginal elder who had welcomed the King. She said Thorpe was being disrespectful and doesn’t represent her views.
King Charles was visiting Australia for the first time since becoming king in September 2022. The ceremony continued without discussing the disruption, and later, the royal couple met with many people outside.
After her protest, Thorpe told the BBC that she wanted to send a strong message to the King, saying, “To be a leader, you have to belong to the land.” She believes he does not belong to Australia.
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Thorpe, who is an independent senator from Victoria, wants the Australian government to create a treaty with Indigenous peoples. Unlike in New Zealand and other places, Australia has not made a treaty with its First Nations. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people believe they never gave up their rights or land to the Crown.
She urged the King to ask Parliament to talk about a peace treaty with Indigenous peoples. She stated that Australia can be better, but they cannot submit to colonizers responsible for historical violence.
Wearing a traditional possum skin cloak, Thorpe called the late Queen Elizabeth II “colonizing” and had to repeat her oath when she became a senator in 2022.
There is an ongoing discussion about the inequalities faced by Indigenous people in health, education, and incarceration rates. A recent referendum aimed at giving more rights to Indigenous peoples was rejected.
Thorpe was elected as part of the Greens party but left because they supported the Yes campaign in the referendum, while she supported a different movement. She is known for her high-profile protests.