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Not my King, Australian senator shouts at Charles

On King Charles’ second official day in Australia, his address at the nation’s Parliament House was disrupted by Senator Lidia Thorpe, an Aboriginal Australian who shouted “You are not my King” and accused the Crown of genocide. Thorpe, an independent senator from Victoria and advocate for a treaty between Australia’s government and its Indigenous peoples, interrupted the ceremony in Canberra, protesting against the monarchy’s historical role in colonization.

Reuters Thorpe wearing a possum skin cloak gesticulates as she stands amongst a crowd of people

As the King rejoined Queen Camilla on stage after his speech, Thorpe walked forward from the back of the assembly, shouting for about a minute before being escorted away by security. She yelled, “This is not your land, you are not my King,” expressing long-standing frustrations over Indigenous sovereignty, which she emphasized was never ceded to the Crown. Thorpe later told the BBC she aimed to send a clear message to King Charles, stating that sovereignty lies with the land and that he, as a foreign monarch, does not represent the First Peoples of Australia.

video credit: The Guardian

The protest highlighted ongoing debates in Australia about the country’s colonial past and its relationship with its Indigenous population. Australia remains the only ex-British colony without a formal treaty with its Indigenous peoples, a key issue for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Thorpe, wearing a traditional possum skin cloak, also reiterated the need for a peace treaty, suggesting that King Charles should encourage the Australian Parliament to take up the issue.

Despite the disruption, the ceremony continued, and the royal couple proceeded to meet with hundreds of people waiting outside Parliament House. Many in the crowd were enthusiastic to see the King and Queen, with some viewing the royal family as an integral part of Australian culture. However, a small group of dissenters had also gathered to protest the monarchy.

King Charles’ visit to Canberra included engagements with Indigenous representatives, where he acknowledged Australia’s journey toward reconciliation. He spoke of the wisdom and courage he had witnessed in Indigenous communities throughout his visits to the country, emphasizing the importance of traditional knowledge. Nevertheless, Thorpe’s protest forced the royal couple to confront the complexities of Australia’s colonial history more directly than anticipated.

The visit also comes at a time when Australia is revisiting discussions about becoming a republic. Although a 1999 referendum on the issue was defeated, public support for a republic has grown in recent years. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a long-term republican, met the King during the visit but has ruled out holding another vote on the monarchy soon, following a failed referendum on Indigenous recognition last year.

Despite the political undertones, the visit had lighter moments as well, with the King engaging with the public, including an interaction with an alpaca wearing a small crown. The royal couple also planted trees and visited Canberra’s National Bushfire Behaviour Research Laboratory, where the King, a dedicated environmentalist, learned more about fire prevention efforts.

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