On Monday, October 21, King Charles arrived at the Australian Parliament to deliver a speech, where he met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other national leaders. However, the British monarch was confronted by Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe, who shouted, “You are not my King, you are not sovereign… you have committed genocide against our people.”
Security personnel intervened and escorted the royal pair as Thorpe continued to yell from the back of the room, demanding, “Give us our land back, give us what you stole. Our babies, our people. You destroyed our land.” Thorpe was advocating for a treaty between the Australian government and the First Nations people.
Earlier, King Charles and Queen Camilla were welcomed with an elaborate traditional Aboriginal ceremony outside Parliament House.
Indigenous Australians were massacred in many areas after British settlers arrived, a violence that persisted until the 1930s. The descendants of these Indigenous communities still face systemic racism and discrimination, enduring longstanding social and economic disadvantages.
This is King Charles’ first visit to Australia since his coronation in 2022. Footage of the incident shows him speaking quietly with Prime Minister Albanese as Senator Thorpe was removed from the building.
Who is Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe?
Lidia Thorpe, 51, made history in 2017 as the first Aboriginal woman elected to the Victorian parliament and has served as a senator for the state since 2020. Previously affiliated with Australia’s Green Party, she became an independent senator in 2022.
Thorpe, who identifies as Gunnai, Gunditjmara, and Djab Wurrung, is a prominent figure in Australian politics, advocating for Indigenous rights, land reclamation, environmental protection, and justice reform.
She has consistently pushed for a treaty between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. This is not her first time criticizing the monarchy—when re-elected in 2022, she referred to Queen Elizabeth II as “the colonizing Her Majesty” during her oath and protested British colonization on the national day of mourning for the Queen.
She has also gained attention for protests, including opposing police presence at Sydney’s Mardi Gras and leading an anti-trans counter-protest in 2023.
What Was Lidia Thorpe Protesting About?
Thorpe was protesting Britain’s colonization of Australia, which led to the massacre of Indigenous people from 1788 to 1930. Indigenous Australians continue to experience racism and systemic discrimination today.
Thorpe’s call for a treaty is tied to the broader movement for Australia to sever ties with the UK and become a republic, while formalizing an agreement with the country’s Indigenous peoples.
Australia remains the only Commonwealth nation that has not yet signed a treaty with its Indigenous population.
