King Charles is the current head of state. (Image Credit: The Royal Palace)
Canberra: “Give us our land back! Give us what you stole from us”, shouted Australian senator Lidia Thorpe at King Charles, who was at the Parliament on Monday to deliver the keynote address. The 75-year-old King is on a day visit to Australia. In a minute-long verbal attack, Thorpe said, “You are not my king. You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us – our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people”.
“I sovereign, Lidia Thorpe, do solemnly and sincerely swear that I will be faithful and I bear true allegiance to the colonising Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” she said. Chambers’ president Sue Lines told Thrope, “Senator Thorpe, Senator Thorpe, you are required to recite the oath as printed on the card.”
She was forcefully taken out of the premises of the Parliament by security officials.
Australia, which was a British colony for more than 100 years, saw the death of thousands of Aboriginal Australians and entire communities being displaced. In 1901, Australia gained de facto Independence, however, it has never become a fully-fledged republic and King Charles is the current head of state.
Charles is on a nine-day excursion to Australia and Samoa, the first major foreign tour since his life-changing cancer diagnosis this year.
Thorpe is known for her bold political stunts and strong opposition to the monarchy. When sworn into office in 2022, she raised her right fist while reluctantly pledging allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II, then Australia’s head of state.
In 1999, Australians narrowly voted to keep the queen as head of state, due to disagreements over whether her successor would be chosen by parliament or the public. In 2023, Australians decisively rejected proposals to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution and establish an Indigenous consultative assembly, reported AFP.
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