An Australian senator yelled “This is not your land, you are not my king, you are not our king” at King Charles III during a royal visit Monday.
Lidia Thorpe, an independent Aboriginal senator, heckled the king after he completed a welcome speech during a visit to Australia’s parliament. She was escorted out by security.
Charles, 75, did not visibly respond to Thorpe’s protest, and Buckingham Palace made no mention of it in an official statement.
Thorpe, who was elected in 2022, has a reputation for protest actions and stood by her words in an interview with the BBC.
“We cannot bow to the colonizer, whose ancestors he spoke about in there are responsible for mass murder and mass genocide,” she told the broadcaster.
In her minute-long protest, Thorpe called for a treaty between the British and Australia’s original inhabitants. Unlike in many other commonwealth states, including New Zealand, no such treaty was ever struck when the British took over Australia.
Charles technically remains head of state in Australia, though all practical government duties are handled by the country’s parliament and prime minister. In 1999, Australia held a referendum on whether to ditch the monarchy and become a republic, but it was soundly defeated.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a long-time supporter of the republican movement, said there will not be another vote during his time in charge. Charles has previously said it is up to the Australian people whether to keep the monarchy.
Charles’ trip to Australia is the first time a British monarch has visited the nation since Queen Elizabeth II in 2011. He had previously been many times during his lengthy tenure as Prince of Wales.
With News Wire Services
