Senator Lidia Thorpe has been censured by the Senate after her fiery confrontation with King Charles during his recent Australian tour.
Thorpe made headlines around the globe when she confronted King Charles at Parliament House, declaring “you are not our king” in a passionate protest.
The incident unfolded following the King’s speech, in which he paid tribute to the progress Australia had made since his first visit to the country in 1966. As the King finished speaking, Senator Thorpe began shouting at the Monarch as she approached the front of the room.
“You are not our king. You are not sovereign. You are not our king. You are not sovereign,” she said.
“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 treaty.”
Security swiftly intervened and escorted Senator Thorpe from the building as King Charles spoke with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
On Monday, November 18, the Senate passed a motion to censure Thorpe by a vote of 46 to 12. Government leader Penny Wong condemned the protest, saying it sought to “incite outrage and grievance”.
“This is part of a trend that we do see internationally which, quite frankly, we do not need here in Australia,” Senator Wong told parliament.
Senator Thorpe arrived in the chamber following the vote, citing a plane delay for her absence.
“Shame on you all,” she said.
“If (the king) comes back in, I’ll do it again.”
In a press conference, following the censure vote, Thorpe reiterated her determination to confront King Charles should he return to Australia.
“That’s been happening in this country for over 200 years,” Senator Thorpe told reporters.
“And here we have it, trying to shut me down, you have only just given me more media, more exposure, and if the colonising king were to come to my country again, our country, then I’ll do it again.
“And I will keep doing it. I will resist colonisation in this country. I swear my allegiance to the real sovereigns of these lands. First Peoples are the real sovereigns.”
-with AAP.