(image/AP)
(image/AP)Australian Senator Ejected from Royal Reception After Anti-Monarchy Protest
Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe was removed from Parliament House's Great Hall on Monday after disrupting a reception event for King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The protest occurred during the second day of the royal couple’s visit to Australia, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was welcoming the monarchs.
Interrupting the proceedings, Senator Thorpe shouted, "You are not our king, you are not our sovereign," before accusing the British monarchy of committing "genocide against our people." She demanded the return of Indigenous lands and human remains, declaring, "Give us what you stole from us... You destroyed our land." Thorpe also called for the King to establish a treaty with Australia's First Nations people.
Security quickly escorted Senator Thorpe out of the Great Hall, and reports indicate she turned her back during the playing of the British national anthem, "God Save the King."
Thorpe, a longstanding critic of the monarchy, has previously voiced her opposition to its influence in Australia. When sworn into the Senate in 2022 as a representative of the Greens, she raised her fist and modified her oath of allegiance, referring to the late Queen Elizabeth II as a "colonizer." Senate President Sue Lines had to remind Thorpe that the oath needed to be recited properly for her to officially assume office.
During his address at the event, King Charles III acknowledged Australia’s First Peoples, praising the "traditional wisdom" they had shared with him. The King and Queen Camilla’s visit has faced protests from various Indigenous activists, including Senator Thorpe.
Following the reception, Queen Camilla met with domestic violence advocates in Canberra, continuing her work in supporting victims of family violence. However, Kerry Staines, CEO of the National Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services Forum, expressed disappointment that her organization, the only national First Nations body focused on family violence, was not invited to the meeting. Staines told ABC that she would have preferred to see First Nations representatives included in the discussion on Australia’s family violence crisis.
In the backdrop of the royal tour, King Charles III has taken a neutral stance on the growing republican sentiment in Australia, expressing that he would not stand in the way if the country chose to become a republic. According to reports, the King’s assistant private secretary conveyed his "deep love and affection" for Australia while adopting an "anti-confrontational approach" to republican protesters.
Australia previously held a referendum on becoming a republic in 1999, with 54.9% of voters opposing the change. While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has expressed support for an Australian head of state, he has suggested that a second referendum is not currently a priority.
Graham Smith, leader of the UK-based Republic campaign group, is in Australia to rally against the monarchy during the King’s visit. Smith noted widespread "indifference and disinterest" toward the royal tour, criticizing its cost to Australian and British taxpayers and questioning the relevance of the monarchy in both nations.