‘I will not be silent’: Australia slams Senator over King Charles protest | Indigenous Rights Issues

Indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe says she has no regrets at all as the Senate expressed its disapproval of the anti-king protest.

The Australian Senate has voted to censure Indigenous lawyer Lidia Thorpe after she mocked Britain’s King Charles III during a visit to parliament last month.

The vote, led by Australia’s ruling Labor Party, was passed with 46 votes in favor and six against.

Thorpe, who is from Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab-Wurrung representing the state of Victoria, issued a statement before the vote, saying that he will not remain silent in this way.

The Senate does not have the power to appoint or remove members of parliament, and impeachment motions, although politically symbolic, have no legal weight.

“I will not be silent. The truth is, this colony was built on stolen land, stolen wealth and stolen lives,” said Thorpe in a statement.

“The British Empire committed terrible crimes against the first people of this country. These crimes include war crimes, crimes against humanity and failure to prevent genocide. The State must answer for these cases,” he added.

Although Australia gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1901, it is still a Commonwealth country, which means that King Charles is Australia’s head of state.

Charles was attending a welcome and reception ceremony at the Australian Parliament in Canberra on October 21 when the trial was interrupted by Thorpe’s protest.

“You killed our people. Give us back our world! Give us what you stole from us!” Thorpe shouted as he entered the room where the king was formally received.

“Our bones, our skulls, our children, our people. You have destroyed our country!”

“This is not your world!” he continued when the guards walked with him.

Recordings of the protest were watched and shared around the world, with a rare direct protest against the British monarch sparking dismay from some and celebration from others.

After the Senate passed the resolution on Monday morning, Thorpe tore the paper it was printed on into two pieces, the Australian broadcaster reported.

This action appeared to be accompanied by a member of the New Zealand legislature, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, who last week tore up a copy of the bill revising the treaty giving land rights to Maori tribes, before starting the traditional haka dance in protest. .