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Royal News

Politician protests against King Charles as Monarch visits Australian parliament

A politician has protested against The King during Charles III’s visit to Australia’s parliament.

King Charles had just given a speech at the Great Hall of Parliament House, Canberra when Lidia Thorpe began her demonstration.

Ms Thorpe, who is a senator, shouted ‘’F*** the colonies’’ during her protest in which she repeatedly told Charles III that he is ‘’not our king’’.

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Lidia Thorpe has made several similar protests before.

The senator had free scope to express all her views and continued to shout her opinions as security walked beside her to escort her from the room.

During the protest, Ms Thorpe said ‘’You are not my king…you committed genocide against our people, give us our land back.’’

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There were also emotive comments including ‘’give us what you stole from us, our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land.’’

A year after a country wide referendum rejected plans to create a body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice that could have made representations to the Federal Parliament, Ms Torres also shouted ‘’give us a treaty.’’

She eventually left the chamber with two security guards.

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The King wasn’t filmed during the protest but was said to be unfazed by it and to have listened to all the comments.

Other senators condemned the protest immediately afterwards. Ralph Babet, who represents the United Australia Party, said Lida Thorpe had ‘’disgraced herself…and the Australian Parliament’’.

Nova Peris, who used to be a senator and who was the first Aboriginal woman in the Australian parliament as well as a  long time campaigner for a republic, later took to social media to say Lidia Thorpe’s ‘’outburst’’ had ‘’ disrupted what should have been a respectful event, was both embarrassing and disrespectful to our nation and the Royal Family.’’

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During his speech, King Charles had paid tribute to the welcome he had received from the First Nations people, noting that  they are the ‘’traditional owners of the land on which we meet.’’

Australia’s Prime Minister, Antony Albanese, said that King Charles had ‘’ hown great respect for Australians even during times when we have debated the future of our own constitutional arrangements and the nature of our relationship with the crown.’’

The protest came on the second full day of engagements of the royal visit to Australia.

King Charles and Queen Camilla spent the day in Canberra. As well as their visit to Parliament, they laid a wreath at the War Memorial and then visited the Roll of Honour where each placed a poppy next to the name of a soldier who had died in conflict.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.