How the scandal surrounding Australian Lydia Thorpe grows – Firstpost

Australian Indigenous senator Lydia Thorpe made global headlines on Monday when she criticized King Charles during his 16th official visit to Australia.

Following a protest in parliament that shocked assembled lawmakers and other dignitaries, the 51-year-old sparked another controversy after a beheaded cartoon of the monarch was posted on her social media and later deleted.

Let’s take a closer look.

Cartoon controversy

On Instagram on Monday, Thorpe, who is Aboriginal, shared a caricature of King Charles being beheaded.

The image, drawn by Matt Chun, read: “You are not our king.”

Thorpe later removed the cartoon and clarified in a statement that the image was distributed without her knowledge and that she would not encourage violence.

“Earlier this evening, unbeknownst to me, one of my employees shared an image on my Instagram stories created by another account, I deleted it as soon as I saw it. I would not intentionally share anything that could be seen as encouraging violence against anyone. That’s not what I’m talking about,” she wrote.

Thorpe is known for loud protests.

When she was confirmed as a senator in 2022, she was not allowed to refer to the then-monarch as “colonizing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”

Last year she briefly blocked a police platform at Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Madri Gras by lying in the street in front of it.

Last year she was also banned for life from a Melbourne strip club after a video emerged of her abusing male patrons.

Also read:

Who is the Australian MP Lydia Thorpe who accused King Charles of genocide?

“You are not our king”

During his visit to the Australian Parliament earlier on Monday, Thorpe accused Charles of “genocide”.

He finished speaking when Thorpe shouted that she did not recognize Charles’ sovereignty over Australia.

“You are not our king. You are not sovereign. You committed genocide against our people,” she shouted, adding: “Give us back the land. Give us back what you stole from us – our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land. Give us a contract. We want an agreement.”

She was later prevented from approaching the king, who was speaking quietly to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the podium, but was otherwise unfazed.

Thorpe was then taken out of the cell.

“To hell with the colony. Fuck the colony,” she said when she was removed.

Thorpe told Breakfast with Kay Burley she insisted on her actions. “We are the true sovereigns in this country,” she said. “The king lives in your country, he is from your country. He can’t be our king. Our bones and skulls are still in his family’s possession. We want it back. We want our land back. And we want your king to take the lead, sit down at the table and discuss the treaty with us.”

Asked why she called it “genocide,” Thorpe said: “There are thousands of invasion massacre sites in this country and someone has to answer for it. He is the successor, which means he needs to answer.”

Thorpe added that her outburst was prompted by “the global truth about the royals who have caused so much destruction – not just to your people in this country, but to Indigenous peoples around the world.”

Criticism

A number of prominent Indigenous activists praised Thorpe’s position, while others condemned it.

Given its history, author and Bundjalung lawyer Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts argues there was “nothing more harmful or disrespectful” than the monarchy’s first invitation to visit the country.

“When Thorpe speaks, her ancestors are with her.”

Thorpe’s actions were condemned by former senator and Aboriginal leader Nova Peris, who said she supported Aboriginal interests but refrained from “rude interruptions or public statements.”

“Senator Thorpe’s actions today do not reflect the manners or approach to reconciliation of Aboriginal Australians as a whole. They only reflect her, and it is important to clarify that the vast majority of us would not embark on such an unconstructive confrontational path,” Paris wrote on X.

“I would like to express my sincere apologies to King Charles III and Queen Camilla on behalf of all those who value the mutual respect and dignity of our nation. When King Charles visited Yolngu country in 2018, he was greeted with great respect and warmth by the traditional owners of the land, who honored him with a traditional ceremony. This moment exemplified the kind of interaction we need—one where respect is earned and given in equal measure,” her post read.

Aunty Violet Sheridan, an Aboriginal elder who officially welcomed King and Queen Camilla to Ngunnawal Country, told Guardian Australia: “Lydia Thorpe does not speak for me and my people, and I am sure she does not speak for many people. Indigenous people.”

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott of the conservative Liberal Party, who attended the event, told reporters it was “an unfortunate piece of political exhibitionism.”

“Call for Resignation”

According to Express UK, Thorpe’s antics were considered “disgusting and disgraceful” by monarchists in Australia, who demanded her resignation.

The Australian Monarchy League is considering legal options for its expulsion from Parliament, said Philip Benwell, the organization’s national chairman.

“I was actually standing next to Lydia Thorpe and could watch her every move. This is a man who, upon taking his seat in the Senate, openly declared that he would be loyal and bear true allegiance to the monarch. The fact that she did this in order to be able to sit in the Senate is irrelevant.”

He added: “The fact is that for some reason she declared her allegiance to King Charles, but now she was personally screaming at the king: ‘You are not my king.’

With the participation of agencies