King Charles’s first visit to Australia as King has highlighted debate over the fact the country remains divided on the subject of keeping the British monarch as head of state. And today, the King was heckled by a senator who accused him of genocide and shouted at him “You are not my King” after he delivered a speech in Canberra’s Parliament House.
Indigenous Australian senator Lidia Thorpe, who represents the state of Victoria, staged a protest as the King took his seat following his speech in the meeting place of Australia’s legislature on Monday. In videos of the incident posted online, she can be heard shouting, “You are not our King, You are not sovereign…You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back.” Charles sat quietly as Thorpe continued, “Give us what you stole from us. Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land.”
Referring to the fact that Indigenous Australians have been calling for a treaty with the Australian government for years, Thorpe continued, “Give us a treaty, we want a treaty in this country…This is not your land…You are not my King.” As she was escorted out of the room, the King could be seen speaking with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the protest today, however a source sought to emphasize that the King and Queen had elsewhere received a warm welcome. “Their Majesties are deeply grateful to the very many thousands who turned out to support them, and are only sorry they didn’t have a chance to stop and talk to every single one,” the source said. “The warmth and scale of the reception was truly awesome.”
Charles, 75, and Camilla, 77, have been greeted by excited crowds at points during their four-day trip. However, today was not the first protest they have faced. The UK Republican movement has traveled to Australia and staged a small protest outside Parliament House in Canberra today alongside some Australian republicans.
Polls consistently show that Australians are divided on the issue of whether to keep the British monarch as head of state, although no future referendum is planned after the last one in 1999 saw them narrowly vote to keep Queen Elizabeth. King Charles is likely to face more pressure over Britain’s colonial past when he attends the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Samoa later this week. The British government has already told the BBC that there will not be an apology over Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade during the summit.