King Charles III's visit to Australia took a dramatic turn on Monday when he was heckled by an Australian senator who advocates Indigenous rights. As the King concluded his address to Parliament, Lidia Thorpe, an independent senator and outspoken advocate for Indigenous rights, approached the stage, accusing the Crown of theft and genocide against Aboriginal people.
Shortly after the King delivered a speech in the Great Hall of Parliament House, Thorpe approached the stage yelling “This is not your country”.
Thorpe further shouted, “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. You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want a treaty in this country. You are a genocidalist.”
Video of the incident went viral on social media.
Security quickly intervened and escorted Thorpe out of the hall as she continued to shout, “You are not my king. You are not our king.”
King Charles, along with Queen Camila, is on his 16th official visit to Australia. This marks his first major foreign visit since his cancer diagnosis. He paid "respects to the traditional owners of the lands," while delivering a speech at Australia’s Parliament House reflecting on his time as a school student in Australia, the Covid pandemic, and the nation’s climate crisis.
Lidia Thorpe had shown her dissent by turning her back on a large screen displaying the King during the official welcome, signaling her rejection of the monarchy's legitimacy in Australia.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who welcomed the royal couple alongside opposition leader Peter Dutton, spoke highly of Charles’ engagement with climate issues and reconciliation.
“You have shown great respect for Australians, even during times where we’ve debated the future of our own constitutional arrangements and the nature of our relationship with the crown. Nothing stands still,” Albanese said.
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott condemned Thorpe's protest, labeling it “unfortunate political exhibitionism,” while businessman Dick Smith described it as a testament to the strength of Australian democracy.
In a statement released earlier in the day, Thorpe argued for a republic that includes a treaty with First Nations peoples, stating, “As First Peoples, we never ceded our sovereignty over this land. The crown invaded this country, has not sought treaty with First Peoples, and committed a genocide of our people. King Charles is not the legitimate sovereign of these lands. Any move towards a republic must not continue this injustice. Treaty must play a central role in establishing an independent nation.”
The call for a treaty has gained momentum since the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart, which sought recognition and agreement between the Australian government and Indigenous communities. Despite some state-level progress, federal action remains elusive.
The royal couple’s journey through Australia will continue in Sydney before heading to Samoa for a meeting of Commonwealth nations.
