The Australian senator who shouted at the King has defended her actions, insisting he is “not our sovereign”.
Senator Lidia Thorpe yelled at the King after he spoke to Australia‘s parliament on Monday.
She shouted: “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!
“You are not our King, you are not sovereign… you have committed genocide against our people.”
Security stopped her getting close to the monarch and ushered her out the chamber in Canberra.
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‘You are not my King’
Ms Thorpe told Breakfast with Kay Burley she stood by her actions.
“We are the real sovereigns in this country,” she said. “The King lives in your country, he’s from your country. He can’t be our King.”
The senator added: “We have our bones and our skulls still in his family’s possession. We want that back. We want our land back.
“And we want your King to take some leadership and sit at the table and discuss a treaty with us.”
Asked why she called him “genocidal”, Ms Thorpe claimed “there are thousands of massacre sites in this country from invasion and someone needs to answer for that. He is the successor, then he needs to answer”.
The royal couple were welcomed in Canberra by Ngunnawal Elder Aunty Serena Williams. Pic: AP
She said “wasn’t fussed” if some people think she abused her power, as she has “the support of Aboriginal people around this country”.
Ms Thorpe said her outburst was for “global truth telling about the royals who caused so much devastation – to not only your people in this country but indigenous people around the world”.
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The senator was also one of about 20 people protesting as the royals laid a wreath at a Canberra war memorial earlier on Monday.
She also refused to take an oath of allegiance to the late Queen when she became a politician.
The royals at the Australian War Memorial. Pic: AP
The King and Queen visited the National Botanic Gardens in Canberra on Monday. Pic: PA
The King and Queen are in the Australian capital as their tour of the country continues.
The couple are in Sydney on Tuesday before later flying to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
