Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe interrupted King Charles during his visit to the Australian parliament on Monday, shouting anti-colonial slogans that left lawmakers and dignitaries stunned.
“Give us our land back! Give us what you stole from us!” Thorpe yelled in a passionate outburst that lasted nearly a minute following the 75-year-old king’s speech. She proclaimed, “This is not your land; you are not my king,” denouncing what she called a “genocide” of Indigenous Australians by European settlers.
Australia was a British colony for over a century, during which thousands of Aboriginal Australians were killed and entire communities displaced. While the country gained de facto independence in 1901, it has never transitioned to a fully-fledged republic, with King Charles as the current head of state.
The king is on a nine-day tour of Australia and Samoa, marking his first significant international engagement since his cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
Thorpe is known for provocative political actions and strong opposition to the monarchy. When sworn into office in 2022, she raised her fist while taking the oath to serve Queen Elizabeth II, then Australia’s head of state.
“I, sovereign, Lidia Thorpe, do solemnly and sincerely swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the colonising Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” she stated, prompting a reprimand from Senate officials. “Senator Thorpe, you are required to recite the oath as printed on the card,” the chamber’s president, Sue Lines, reminded her.
In 1999, a referendum saw Australians narrowly vote against the removal of the queen amid debates over how her replacement would be chosen. More recently, in 2023, Australians overwhelmingly rejected proposals to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution and establish an Indigenous consultative assembly.