Australian senator faces backlash after dramatic protest against King Charles
Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe got censured by Australian Senate for her protest during King Charles visit. Her actions sparked debate about monarchyʼs role in Australiaʼs past and present
The Australian Senate took action against Lidia Thorpe this monday after her bold-protest during King Charles parliament speech: the censure motion got support from both major political groups
In oct 2024‚ Thorpe — a DjabWurrung Gunnai Gunditjmara woman — interrupted the Kings speech (who was talking about traditional land owners) with accusations of genocide. The censure‚ while having no real power‚ shows how parliament dont like her way of speaking up
They want me to kneel‚ to be silent‚ to disappear but my loyalty lies with my people not with a government or crown
Thorpe has done such things before; like in 22ʼ when she changed her oath to call the Queen a colonizer. Its worth noting that Indigenous people — who came here bout 50 thousand years before british settlers — make up just 3‚8% of todays 27-mil population
The whole thing brings up old questions about Australiaʼs past: Indigenous folks whoʼve been here since ancient times still face many problems in modern life — something thats not even mentioned in the constitution which is over 120 years old. The Senate also passed another censure that day; against senator Ralph Babet for his social-media posts after Trump won
