Canberra: Independent senator Lydia Thorpe, who protested during the welcome ceremony of Britain’s King Charles in the Australian Parliament, has suddenly come into limelight all over the world. When King Charles, who was visiting Australia for the first time after ascending the British throne, was sitting in the Parliament in Canberra after finishing his address, Lydia shouted, ‘You are not my king.’ Lydia, 51, accused King Charles of committing genocide against the natives of Australia. The video of Thorpe’s protest went viral on social media. Disrupting the reception held in the Great Hall of Parliament, Lydia Thorpe said, ‘You committed genocide against our people. Destroyed our land. Give us back our land. Give us all that you stole from us – our bones, our heads, our children, our people. During this, the security personnel present there took Thorpe out of the hall.
Who is Lydia Thorpe?
Born in 1973 in Carlton, Victoria, Australia, Lydia Thorpe belongs to the Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrand ethnic communities. Among the prominent figures advocating indigenous issues in Australia. Thorpe holds a Diploma in Community Development and a Bachelor of Public Sector Management degree from Swinburne University of Technology. He is known for his strong opposition to the monarchy in the country.
political journey
Lydia Thorpe reached the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the first time in 2017. He won the by-election for the Northcote seat in 2011, receiving more than 45 percent of the primary votes. In December 2018 she lost to Labor candidate Kat Theophanes. In 2020, Victorian Greens members elected Lydia Thorpe to the Federal Senate. She is the first Aboriginal woman to represent Victoria, as well as the first Aboriginal federal MP for the Greens. The Greens party room elected him as the party’s deputy leader in the Senate following his re-election in May 2022. He left the Greens Party in February 2023.
Why did you oppose King Charles?
Lydia told the BBC that her aim was to send a clear message to King Charles. He insisted that ‘to be sovereign you must belong to this land (Australia).’ He does not belong to this land. Lydia Thorpe has been a long-time critic of the British monarchy. He accused the British monarchy of committing genocide against the Australian people.
Speaking to the BBC, Thorpe said: ‘How can he (Charles) stand there and say he is the king of our country – he has stolen so much wealth from our people and our land and he needs to give it back and he There is a need to negotiate a peace treaty in this country.