On the second day of King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s royal visit to Australia, tensions flared when Senator Lidia Thorpe was forcibly removed from Parliament House after a dramatic outburst directed at the monarch.
The incident occurred shortly after King Charles delivered an address to MPs and senators in Canberra’s Great Hall, marking a key moment in his inaugural visit as king. As he concluded his speech, Senator Thorpe stood and shouted at the King, demanding the return of Aboriginal land and accusing the Crown of historic wrongs against Indigenous Australians.
“You are not our King… Give us back what you stole from us: our bones, our skulls, our people. You destroyed our land. We want a treaty in this country,” Senator Thorpe yelled before being dragged out by security.
Senator Thorpe continued her protest outside Parliament, shouting at the royal motorcade, “We will resist always. Until we have peace, we will resist.”
Earlier in the day, Thorpe had released a statement calling for Australia to become a republic and to prioritise a treaty with First Nations people. She argued that the Crown’s legacy includes genocide against Indigenous Australians and insisted that any move toward republicanism must address unresolved injustices.
United Australia Party’s Senator Ralph Babet condemned Senator Thorpe’s actions at Parliament House, where she verbally attacked King Charles III during his address. He criticised her behaviour as “disgusting” and “utterly disrespectful,” especially given that King Charles travelled to Australia despite ongoing cancer treatment.
Senator Babet stated, “Senator Thorpe has disgraced not only herself and the Australian Parliament, but every Australian man, woman and child.” He also argued that while Thorpe demanded an apology from the King, it is King Charles and the Australian people who deserve an apology from her.
The disruption took place while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stood beside King Charles, both appearing unfazed by the commotion. After the scene calmed, classical music resumed and the ceremony continued.
Despite the protest, King Charles received a warm welcome from Albanese, who expressed his admiration for the monarch’s ongoing engagement with issues like reconciliation and climate change.
“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,” Albanese said.
The day began with a more celebratory tone as King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the Australian War Memorial, where they greeted the public, including children and a particularly memorable alpaca named Hephner, dressed in royal-themed attire.
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