The outrage machine has been working overtime on Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe all week, ever since her ballsy protest of King Charles in Australian Parliament. I feel like history will be very kind to Senator Thorpe, but in the short-term, she’s being targeted heavily by Australian and British media. She’s getting the “Full Meghan Markle” treatment. As I’ve mentioned previously, this is not Senator Thorpe’s first rodeo with the international media. In 2022, her swearing-in as a senator became headline news. Australian senators have to swear an oath of office and swear an allegiance to the British crown. Senator Thorpe tried unsuccessfully to modify the oath, only for the other senators tell her that she *had* to do it the real way. Now that oath is being thrown back in her face, as in “if you don’t support the crown, why did you take the oath of office, HYPOCRISY MUCH?” To which Senator Thorpe had a hilarious comeback:
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has offered an extraordinary defence of whether she breached her parliamentary oath, claiming she pledged allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II’s “hairs” rather than her “heirs” when she was sworn into parliament.
The revelation comes after Senator Thorpe interrupted a royal reception in Parliament House on Monday, shouting “you are not our king” and “this is not your land” to King Charles III.
On Wednesday, the Indigenous senator was asked by the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing if she had renounced her sworn parliamentary affirmation to bear true allegiance to the monarch in her heckling of the king.
“I swore allegiance to the queen’s hairs,” she replied. “If you listen close enough, it wasn’t her ‘heirs’, it was her ‘hairs’ that I was giving my allegiance to, and now that, y’know, they are no longer here, I don’t know where that stands. I’m not giving up my job, I’m not resigning.”
Senator Thorpe was sworn in as a Greens senator for Victoria in 2022, during which she described the queen as a “coloniser” before being told to recite the oath as printed on the card.
A re-examination of the swearing-in appears to show that Senator Thorpe did pronounce “heirs” as “hairs”, though it is recorded as “heirs” in the Hansard.
In case you want to watch Senator Thorpe’s 2022 oath, I’m including the video below. She absolutely said “hairs” not “heirs.” The Australian accent is a crazy thing! Also: if they try to come for Senator Thorpe’s job – her elected position! – because she spoke truth to a tired old British king, then that will be an even bigger story, right?
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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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: Australian senator Lidia Thorpe Where: Canberra, Australia When: 20 Oct 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Australian senator Lidia Thorpe protests 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: Australian senator Lidia Thorpe Where: Canberra, Australia When: 21 Oct 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III 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: 21 Oct 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Australian senator Lidia Thorpe protests 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: Australian senator Lidia Thorpe Where: Canberra, Australia When: 21 Oct 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Those whiny idiots in the background… “You’re not a senator if you don’t do it properly… Have some respect…” Ugh! Filled me with all kinds of rage. GO SENATOR THORPE! You show ’em who is boss. From a fellow Aussie.
I love it. Politicians should be swearing allegiance to the country not the Royal Family.
End the monarchy. Pay reparations.
I don’t understand why they don’t have an alternative to the oath like a solemn declaration? When you are in politic you come with beliefs. As she had to swear that oath under duress, it diminished the credibility of the oath. The visceral reactions of many was shameful and a way greater embarrassment to the country than her manifestation.
I agree, it doesn’t seem right to force politicians to state a political belief they don’t share as part of their oath or affirmation in order to take office. I will just point out though that there are already two options based on religious or non-religious, and that would make it four if you also gave choice on swearing allegiance to the crown as well. But what you said is exactly why they have choice on the religious part – because it weakens their vow if forced to swear allegiance to a god they don’t believe in, and isn’t fair or democratic to potentially deny someone the chance to take their seat in parliament unless they swear that allegiance under duress. The oath or affirmation is meant to be neutral.
Interesting that people have only just learned that Lidia Thorpe pledged allegiance to a foreigner’s hairs. And years later, after serving Australia’s government, that one little word is enough to flip people out, LOL! Her ancestry actually being Australian and how she’s actually done her job doesn’t seem to matter. Seriously though, if people are going to be bent out of shape with LT for pointing out how Australia’s original inhabitants have been treated (no treaty though), that she has an issue with the monarch of another country (which caused problems due to colonialism and racism), and she used the word “hairs” instead of “heirs” to make a point, then all the more power to her!
When I started learning Dutch after moving here, one of the things that I’ve found highly amusing is their national anthem. In it William the Silent (in Dutch, Willen van Oranje–William of Orange. William of Orange is a different person in English–this also amuses me.) says that he’s German and pledges his loyalty to Spain. Dutch people sing this (first verse) today. https://www.royal-house.nl/topics/national-anthem/music-lyrics-and-customs
She’s amazing 👏🏾
I am so tired of white people being offended at a protest against Imperialism and not at Imperialism.
It’s exhausting hearing them talk
Does an oath mean anything if it’s under duress? NO!
Are Australian senators appointed by the UK Queen? And if not, then this oath is very puzzling. Wouldn’t you make an oath to your own country or citizens?
So, a forced oath made to a stranger from the other side of the world. Well, now we know why this visit is going so great.
Okay, I’m laughing at hairs v heirs. Lidia Thorpe, an icon❤️
When my son got invested into Beavers he and the other children being invested also had to pledge allegiance to the Queen, this week he got invested into Cubs and had to pledge allegiance to the king, barf. I really hate it and vehemently disagree with that particular line
Do Canadian politicians have to declare allegiance to the Crown as well?
Even if there’s no will to push for full independence, they should alter this declaration. It’s ridiculous to force Australians to declare loyalty to foreign monarch just so they can serve their country.
As an Australian, I have some conflict about how I feel about Lydia Thorpe.
This protest and the oath of allegiance = amazing.
But she definitely engaged in ratfking the referendum on the voice to parliament. I get where she was coming from (and as a white person, I completely respect her better perspective on First Nations needs and rights) but our country is so damn racist, and I wanted so badly for us to take the first step toward reconciliation and reparations and LT’s public position was “it’s all or nothing” and she campaigned against the voice… Lending strength to the racists who got what they wanted (no systemic change).
Yes – I feel the same. She is definitely complicated but I loved watching her shout F*** the Monarchy at C&C!