SCOTTISH Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie has said the indigenous people of Australia deserve a “proper apology” after King Charles was berated by a senator during his visit to the country.
We told on Monday how senator Lidia Thorpe waited until the end of a landmark speech Charles gave at Australia’s Parliament House to claim “genocide” had been committed against the Commonwealth country’s indigenous people.
Charles and Camilla have faced protests during their tour and, on Tuesday, a well-known aboriginal activist was arrested for staging a protest against Charles’s visit.
NEW: This is the moment King Charles's speech in Australia's Parliament House was interrupted by Senator Lidia Thorpe, who told him: 'You are not my King' 🗣 'You have committed genocide against our people.' pic.twitter.com/KkExsbCGTb
— The National (@ScotNational) October 21, 2024
During her protest, Thorpe could be heard shouting: “You are not our king, you are not sovereign … you have committed genocide against our people.
“Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us … our babies, our people. You destroyed our land.”
Thorpe sits as an independent in the upper house of the Australian parliament. Harvie said her response was “justified by her own experiences as an indigenous woman”.
Speaking to The National, he said the British monarch is an “increasingly outdated institution that has no place in a modern, democratic society”.
“The harm caused by the former British empire cannot be dismissed or brushed over,” he added.
“While the King did not personally commit the crimes of the past, he has benefited greatly from colonialism, and continues to do so.
“The indigenous people of Australia deserve a proper apology from the figureheads who today represent the former British empire for the abhorrent mistreatment of their people through deep-rooted colonialism.
“The aftershock of this mistreatment has undoubtedly impacted indigenous generations through to the present day, and strong emotional responses like senator Lidia Thorpe’s are justified by her own experiences as an indigenous woman.
“Whether they wish to keep the monarch is for Australia to decide, just as it should be for Scotland to decide whether we want a monarchy.
“No other country should be entitled to make that choice on their behalf.”
Prior to Charles’s (above) arrival, Thorpe issued a statement in which she said, “First Peoples never ceded our sovereignty over this land” and that “the Crown invaded this country, has nought sought a treaty with First Peoples, and committed a genocide of our people”.
“King Charles is not the legitimate sovereign of these lands,” she added.
The politician later defended the interruption, saying she had done so to draw attention to the plight of indigenous people in the country.
“I did it for truth telling,” she said.
“Global truth telling about the royals who cause so much devastation to not only our people in this country but indigenous people around the world.
“We don’t have a treaty in this country, we’ve been calling for decades and decades for a treaty.
“Our jails are full of aboriginal people. We have 23,000 aboriginal children that have been taken from their families.
“We have over 600 deaths in custody where no one has ever been held accountable. We have our bones and our skulls still in his [King Charles] possession, or his family’s possession.
“We want that back, we want that land back and we want your King to take some leadership and sit at the table and discuss a treaty with us.”
She was also asked by Sky News presenter Kay Burley why she had called King Charles “genocidal”.
Thorpe said: “There’s thousands of massacre sites in this country from invasions and someone needs to answer for that.”
Burley replied: “And that’s the King?”
“If he is the successor, then he needs to answer,” said Thorpe.
Scottish anti-monarchy group Our Republic supported Thorpe’s move, saying it was right for Charles to be confronted with the “blood-soaked histories” of the royal family.
