Here are some photos of King Charles and Queen Camilla on Monday in Canberra. They flew from Sydney to Canberra (Australia’s capital) as part of their Australia tour. One of the biggest events of the day was King Charles’s address to Australian Parliament. It was right after his speech when Senator Lidia Thorpe staged a one-woman protest of his visit and his address:
The King’s speech in the Australian Parliament was disrupted by shouts of “genocide” and “f— the colonies” as a senator used the Royal visit to protest. Senator Lidia Thorpe also shouted “f— the colonies” before she was escorted from the Great Hall of Parliament House, Canberra.
Speaking moments before, the King had delivered a speech in which he particularly addressed the First Nations people and their “traditional wisdom”, thanking them for their welcome ceremony and paying his respects to the “traditional owners of the lands on which we meet”. After the speech, which also touched on the King and Elizabeth II’s memories of visits to Australia and topics including climate change, Senator Thrope, who is well known for her protests, shouted: “You committed genocide against our people. 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 – we want 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. F— the colonies.”
She was escorted from the hall by security as she continued to berate the King. He was said afterwards to have been “unruffled” by the interruption and determined not let it overshadow an otherwise “wonderful day”.
Ms Thorpe, 51, is an independent senator. In 2022, she was compelled to repeat the oath of allegiance for Australian parliamentarians after initially describing the late Queen as a “coloniser”.
Thorpe’s 2022 protest of the oath got international coverage – she’s long been on the radar of republicans and monarchists, and I felt sorry for her that they basically forced her to pledge her allegiance to QEII to undertake her role in the Australian Senate. It was asinine, and it underlined the need for Australia to dump the monarchy. I’m glad she got the chance to protest King Charles in person. There’s lots of footage of Thorpe’s protest and I find it very moving. I’m actually a little bit emotional about it – she’s an extremely brave woman.
King Charles protester Lidia Thorpe, a Victoria Senator interrupts the great hall after speech pic.twitter.com/d02hoKW1rh
— Kate Mansey (@KateMansey) October 21, 2024
Australian senator Ms Thorpe, who has aboriginal heritage, heckled King Charles.
"You are not our King, you are not Sovereign… you have committed genocide against our people." pic.twitter.com/Z3LyAOUg2I
— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) October 21, 2024
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- King Charles III arrives for the ceremonial welcome to Australia at Australian Parliament House in Canberra, marking the King’s first visit as sovereign to Australian Parliament House, on day two of the royal visit to Australia and Samoa. Featuring: King Charles III Where: Canberra, Australia When: 21 Oct 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- CAPTION CORRECTION AMENDING EVENT AND LOCATION King Charles III makes a speech during the Ceremonial Welcome to Australia at Australian Parliament House in Canberra, marking the King’s first visit as sovereign to Australian Parliament House, on day two of the royal visit to Australia and Samoa. Featuring: King Charles III Where: Canberra, Australia When: 20 Oct 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- A protester interrupts during the Ceremonial Welcome to Australia for King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Australian Parliament House in Canberra, marking the King’s first visit as sovereign to Australian Parliament House, on day two of the royal visit to Australia and Samoa. Featuring: A protester interrupts during the Ceremonial Welcome to Australia for King Charles III and Queen Camilla Where: Canberra, Australia When: 20 Oct 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- A protester interrupts during the Ceremonial Welcome to Australia for King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Australian Parliament House in Canberra, marking the King’s first visit as sovereign to Australian Parliament House, on day two of the royal visit to Australia and Samoa. Featuring: A protester interrupts during the Ceremonial Welcome to Australia for King Charles III and Queen Camilla Where: Canberra, Australia When: 20 Oct 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- A protester interrupts during the Ceremonial Welcome to Australia for King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Australian Parliament House in Canberra, marking the King’s first visit as sovereign to Australian Parliament House, on day two of the royal visit to Australia and Samoa. Featuring: A protester interrupts during the Ceremonial Welcome to Australia for King Charles III and Queen Camilla Where: Canberra, Australia When: 20 Oct 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- A protester interrupts during the Ceremonial Welcome to Australia for King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Australian Parliament House in Canberra, marking the King’s first visit as sovereign to Australian Parliament House, on day two of the royal visit to Australia and Samoa. Featuring: A protester interrupts during the Ceremonial Welcome to Australia for King Charles III and Queen Camilla Where: Canberra, Australia When: 20 Oct 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III during the ceremonial planting of two snow gum eucalyptus trees, in the garden of Government House in Canberra, on day two of the royal visit to Australia and Samoa. To mark every Royal Visit to Government House dating back to 1985, members of the Royal Family have been invited to participate in a tradition of tree planting within the grounds. Featuring: King Charles III Where: Canberra, Australia When: 20 Oct 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III during a tour of the Banksia Garden at the Australian National Botanic Gardens, in Canberra, to discuss the impact of climate change on Australia, on day two of the royal visit to Australia and Samoa. Featuring: King Charles III Where: Canberra, Australia When: 21 Oct 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Good for her. Not my king. End the monarchy!
Good for her the Aborigines were appallingly treated by the colonisers. right into the 20th century, they have only fairly recently been given human rights.
Love it. You go girl. She made me sad for the Aboriginals who do not get the same kind of reparations America now gives American Indians like ownerships of oil companies and hotel resorts which made tribes billionaires.
Ella, there are many tribes in the US who don’t have either of those things and are not millionaires let alone billionaires.
Many tribes here live in abject poverty. They live in shacks, have high levels of alcoholism, and abuse, rape and murders of indigenous women are at an all time high and are never reported on. Their culture and language was robbed from them. The typical Native American is NOT a millionaire or billionaire, nor have they benefited in any way from those that have made money.
Afaik no settler country has made anything close to reparations to the Indigenous peoples for colonizing them. Definitely the US has not—and in terms of contemporary Indigenous political influence, afaik NZ is much better than the US or Canada.
But Indigenous peoples in all of the US, Canada, Aus, and NZ (as well as Latin American countries) are much more likely to be poor and disenfranchised than white settlers are.
There have been no such reparations. Some tribes have been able to enforce their treaty rights, some after decades of having those rights ignored; those who’ve gone the casino route have been able to build resorts, yes; Alaska Native Corporations were able to settle their claims against the US government some 50+ years ago, and a lot that land means oil fields, yes; Oklahoma tribes have their oil fields, also yes. None of these tribes were ‘given’ anything; the land was theirs to begin with.
Lidia Thorpe did well. Peter Dutton who is a Royalist was asking for her to resign — to him I say shooooosh. Enough with this RF— let them fund their travels.
Camilla was so smug ,yes I get it someone was yelling towards her husband but protests are allowed, why she had to snicker and show zero class was unnecessary for a Queen.
That is what stood out to me as well. But she has blood on her hands as well – she should not be up there. And Cams has never had class and never will.
I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed that witch smirking and grinning. The woman is a bliddy liability to the UK and the Crown. Every time that wicked woman goes on these tours she does something to remind the world that she has no right to the title. Say what you want about QEII but, I’ll wager my last cent that we would not have known how she felt about the protestor.
Just to be clear I’m 100% on the side of Lidia, it took enormous strength to get up and tell KCIII to his face exactly what she thinks of his crown. If KCIII had any guts he’d arrange for a private meeting with her. He greedily expects the wealth and privilege of being king but, is not prepared to accept the responsibility that come with it.
What a trash person. No queen behavior anywhere on display.
Of course I’m thrilled by the protest, and kudos to the protestor, and the first thing I noticed is how smirking Camilla is, even in contrast to Charles, almost like she is making fun of the woman.
And why did they “drag” a senator out. Would they have done that to any of the other senators?
I was wondering the same thing myself and could only think it was because she’s Aboriginal. It’s not just the crown that has blood on its hands. Australia and Canada both have to atone for the atrocities done to the Aboriginals. Pointing fingers at various churches doesn’t absolve others from their actions, both centuries old and continuing. Given the worldwide rise in regressive politics, racism (and what comes with it) will only become worse. Where I live in BC just experienced the first atmospheric river of the year–right on time to disrupt the final voting day for the provincial election. Neither major party has been declared the winner. Two of the three Green Party candidates were elected and may hold the balance of power in their hands depending on the final count. Get out and vote, America! Please. Every vote matters.
Snickering at Indigenous people is kind of her and Chuck’s thing.
https://globalnews.ca/news/3573437/prince-charles-camilla-inuit-throat-singing-iqaluit/amp/
Good for her!
She made the dutch newssites and commentors were like “this is not the way to do it” to which I replied this is exactly the way, everyone is talking about it including us!
Also Graham Smith CEO of Republic tweeted that protestors were forced well out of the way outside of parliament I’m glad that this protest happened.
Yes! This is how you do it! I’m so glad it’s getting global attention.
And I’ll bet he was ‘unruffled’. Charles and Camilla are so full of themselves and their idea of their superiority that they probably see such protests as ‘the rabble being uncivilized’. Boooooooooooo!!!
Protesters are not suppose to make their target comfortable. That’s why it’s called protest. I’m sure the people who have no trouble celebrate Guy Fawkes day, no a little something about that. And I doubt anyone’s claiming today that the Boston Tea Party was just a waste of tea.
I come from Concord, Mass. The Old North Bridge, Paul River and Dr. Sam Prescott riding to warn Concord and Lexington that “the British are coming”! April19th, Patriots’ day is a huge deal. All the towns have their own Minute Men. They all march in a big parade in Concord and fight a mock battle at the Old North Bridge, even the Budweiser Clydesdales come to the party.
Samipup you might have seen me there pre-pandemic as one of the costumed interpreters on the “Battle Road” event, I used to volunteer at Minuteman Historical Park.
Charles should have gotten help about his jealousy issues with Diana. She was such an asset and he did not appreciate het. And why is he wearing those medals.
Meaningless PARTICIPATION MEDALS, no less!
Living in the past. He just doesn’t get it.
Good for her! I wish more had joined her.
Look at Charles, decked out in a chestful of phony medals, standing their proclaiming blah, blah, blah. Worthless, useless man. Living in luxury, wealth hoarding cheat!
Why is he even there?
He has no influence in politics anywhere, empty figurehead.
Very embarrassing that he decked himself out with medals
Canberra resident here.
They were met by more than Senator Thorpe. From early this morning the sites he was visiting and roads were fringed by many protestors – mostly indigenous. And they were not allowed to get near the King but yij could hear the chanting.
Our PM Anthony Albanese and Charles were smirking as Senator Thorpe protested – it was disgraceful.
Honestly unless you’re a die hard Royalist…most Australians either couldn’t give a rats about the Monarchy or are outraged.
It’s time for Australia to put our big girl pants on and jettison the Monarchy.
This tour is a sham any media that tries to tell you otherwise is lying.
The pictures make it look like the senator is alone in her protest, so I’m glad there are many. That’s harder for Charles to ‘ignore’. It’s terrible what we did to natives in our country. I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to have these arrogant people from across the ocean, who live off the riches they stole from your ancestors, come back to lecture and smirk. The world hears the hypocrisy.
They did the same thing to my country, Bumblebee. Our First Nation people were forced into schools to teach and beat the ‘Indian’ out of them. So many people waiting for the train in summer to bring their kids home, only to find their child wasn’t coming home. One woman was told her child had died the previous September. Hundreds and hundreds of children never came home and now we are finding mass graves across the country.
Not my King.
@lady d I am assuming you are a Canadian. If I may add to your response, there are 4,319 children today listed in the NCTR death registers who are acknowledged as having died at Residential Schools. But thousands more missing and unaccounted for. Not only First Nations, also Métis and Inuit children were forced to attend the torture camps.
And “our First Nations” is a possessive use that is very paternalistic and we are being asked to remove that from our vocabulary, in a spirit of reconciliation. Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island don’t belong to settler people.
Smirking Camilla in a let them eat cake mood.
Badass. They wouldn’t let the outside protesters get anywhere near him, so someone had to do speak the truth where he’d hear it.
This is right. Amazing.
Good for her.
I loved what she did. Too bad more don’t do the same.
I’m glad she spoke out – platitudes about how much you “appreciate” the “wisdom” of indigenous peoples aren’t going to cut it, particularly when your nation shows that “appreciation” by literally taking and still keeping human remains and artifacts to this day.
As always, if you want to hear more, the podcast “Stuff the British Stole” is a good place to start!
Thank you I will look this up
It makes me want to gag that he would even say he appreciated the wisdom of indigenous peoples. Also – good for Senator Thorpe! Its disgraceful that she has to fight tooth and nail to bring attention to the colonial genocide, while the privileged sit and smirk in her face. I am Canadian, and colonialization has been brutal to the indigenous peoples here. While my country has taken some steps towards reconciliation and reparation, we have miles to go. I was shocked to learn today that in Australia Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander’s rights are not constitutionally protected.
That’s a great podcast, but they haven’t released anything since last August!
Best thing she’s done.
Yeah, she’s generally a nightmare but I’m always a fan of how she speaks out about the monarchy and our colonial state. As someone who works in Aboriginal communities, she’s definitely speaking for the people in the language she’s using.
Our republicans (including Albo) are too soft in their deference to the monarchy. I did enjoy the Qld premier sidestepping the “what are your thoughts on the kings bday holiday?” question a few weeks ago with “I will take any opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the great (King) Wally Lewis and that’s what this day means to me”.
Good on you Ms Lidia Thorpe. No lies detected. x
Charles is tone deaf.
The people and Govt leaders of Oz do not need his advice.
This tour is nothing more than him playing at being a leader, all for his ego.
Not a monarchist myself, but playing devil’s advocate — what exactly can Charles do? The Australian people/government have the power to vote against being a Commonwealth country. And Charles is kinda damned if he does or doesn’t — if he doesn’t visit, he doesn’t care. If he visits, he gets boos. Should the UK offer financial reparations to Commonwealth countries? The monarchy can do nothing about that. Would it help if Charles just quit wearing so many medals? I honestly don’t know how he should behave? What exactly do the protesters want? Note — this is an honest question looking at two sides of the story.
He could start by pushing for British museums to give back the human remains that they stole and have kept for their “cultural significance”. Senator Thorpe wasn’t speaking metaphorically about bones and skulls – they should be permanently returned, with an apology and appropriate reparations. I think that would be a great start.
The crown owes reparations for the damage they caused to indigenous people around the world.
That’s what they can do.
@Honey up until 2015 the British taxpayers (black and white) were paying former slave owners (including the Crown) compensation for their loss of “property.” They could start by using the interest they made on all that money to support an infrastructure to assist people.
@LauraD, @Nic919 and @Jay, I hear what you’re saying but, not as a Charles apologist, what can he or any of the royals actually do? They can’t make policy/law or even speak about anything slightly political or policies that affect tax dollars, right? Can Charles cause museums to return artifacts? I guess my point is, and is the feeling of many of us, why does the monarchy still exist? They are good for tourism and gossip is all I can figure. I would be happy for the UK government/people to abolish it, sell off royal properties and distribute the proceeds for reparation, but fat chance of that. I just think that Charles is in a tough position as he has no power over policy/tax collection/revenue.
Honey, where do you think the (incredible) wealth privately held by the King came from? What King Snubby could do is acknowledge what they did and PAY reparations. He will never do that because he doesn’t want to let go of his wealth. Don’t think there isn’t anything he can do, because there is.
That family has personal wealth of billions. They could sell some of their stuff and help out the indigenous people who had their families torn apart and land taken in unfair trades in the name of the King or Queen’s military.
The Canadian government has provided some assistance (not enough of course) and that comes from Canadian taxpayers who don’t have five mansions each like Charles and William.
“Stuff the British Stole”?? What a great name! Off to check for some Irish episodes ;))
If this was in UK, the sycophants would drown the protest with chants or claps. It is interesting everyone was silent, so her protest was heard loud and clear.
Not everyone will bend the knee to the British monarch. And signs on the road reminding people the atrocities committed in the name of the Crown? Chuck, Cam and the PM laughed this off but you know they were embarrassed by this incident. It’s making the news and it’s all over social media. Charles wants a tour without a hitch and once again a woman upstages him; this time it’s not one he’s married to. Deference to the Crown died with QE2, although there were protests against her during her reign. Bulliam and Keen got a taste of it during the Caribbean car crash tour and during the visit to Boston so they shouldn’t expect a warm and fuzzy welcome when it’s William’s turn.
I have a picture in my head of William wearing the crown while hearing the simpson’s voiceover “I’m in danger”
Fantastic work Senator Thorpe.
Well done to Lidia Thorpe!
The two idiots were laughing about it? Seriously. No lies detected in anything she said.
Oh, btw, Charles looks absolutely terrible.
Doesn’t he though? I just might start believing the “he’s dying” tropes.
#AbolishTheMonarchy
What a badass! Go Lidia Thorpe. Imagine being sick, pausing treatment, all to go and get protested halfway around the world.
I need a clapping hands Emoji.
He should be *ruffled*, he should be contrite, feel shamed and experience remorse and sadness at what was done to these people and others.
This is what they deserve. And saying it ruined an otherwise wonderful day shows how they bury their heads in the sand and pretend these are not serious issues and historical crimes they choose to ignore. Kudos to Senator Thorpe for speaking up and calling Charles out to his face.
This is why I am glad that Harry and Meghan left because Meghan would have been used as a token to cover up the egregious crimes and while she is currently a target by the British media, she would be used as a Candace Owens or some of the Tory politicians who cover for racist and sexist politics.
There is no way to make monarchy look good when it exists because some people, white people, decided they were better than the rest and sacrificed the lives of many for more land, money and power. Wearing dumb crowns won’t cover that ugliness.
End the monarchy. Up the ‘Ra.
She’s a freaking hero.
Camilla — who embodies the smirking stupidity of colonializing Brits — isn’t fit to be in Senator Thorpe’s presence.
Abolish the monarchy.
Louder, Senator!
My Irish ancestors agree.
Get out Charles.
Not surprised Camz was smirking. She’s the one who smirked and laughed at the indigenous throat singers in Canada awhile back. Racist cow.
Everyone’s already said everything that needs to be said, so I’ll just ask, does anyone know the significance of the cape Senator Thorpe is wearing?
That is a possum cloak I believe. The country in Lidia’s part of the world can get really cold in the winter, so local animals with plush coats would be harvested for meat and the skin turned into warm clothes. There are a few in museum hands from the early days of settlement that have survived, the workmanship is exquisite. Typically they’re now worn by indigenous leaders for important ceremonies.
Sovereignty was never ceded. Always was, always will be.
Look at Charles with all of his little medals he didn’t earn. Senator Lidia Thorpe is a very brave person, I hope she’ll be alright but the DM was already going through her entire life to try to find anything to bully her with.
Lidia Thorpe has been my hero since she protested having to pledge allegiance to The Queen. I knew her voice instantly. Power to the people!