King Charles faced a confrontation from Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe during his visit to Australia. On October 21, Thorpe told him that he was “not her king” and demanded a treaty between Australia’s First Nations and its government.
After King Charles delivered a significant speech at Australia’s Parliament House, Thorpe confronted him, accusing the Commonwealth of committing “genocide” against Indigenous people.
The Australian senator expressed her strong disapproval by declaring that Charles was not their sovereign and demanded the return of their land, claiming it had been taken from them.
“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,” she said.
“Give us a treaty – we want a treaty with this country… This is not your land, this is not your land, you are not my King you are not our King,” Thorpe added.
As she was escorted out of the hall, she shouted that a treaty between the First Nations people and the government was needed.
Throughout the Royal tour of Australia, Charles and Camilla encountered smaller protests from groups supporting First Nations’ resistance to colonisation. Protesters had been seen displaying banners reading “decolonise” at several events.
The Independent cited sources who indicated that King Charles, despite the confrontation, remained calm.
Earlier that day, Charles and Camilla were warmly received at the national war memorial, where they met hundreds of well-wishers, including a sneezing alpaca, in a lighthearted moment.
What did King Charles say?
In his speech to the Australian parliament, King Charles spoke about his long-standing relationship with the country, which began when he first visited as a teenager. He mentioned how his time studying in the Outback shaped him, leaving a lasting impression on his life.
“Throughout my life, Australia’s First Nations peoples have done me the great honour of sharing, so generously, their stories and cultures. I can only say how much my own experience has been shaped and strengthened by such traditional wisdom,” Charles said.
