Lidia Thorpe’s story about why she posted a photo of herself wearing a Hamas-style headband has taken another turn, as she is referred to the police and a second mocking tweet she deleted resurfaces.
The independent senator from Victoria posted the provocative selfie on X-rated on Tuesday but deleted it just hours later, telling Daily Mail Australia she didn’t realise the headband was linked to the terror group.
In the photo, Thorpe, who is an outspoken supporter of Palestine amid the ongoing conflict with Israel, can be seen smiling while holding a mug and wearing a green headband that reads “I love chocolate milk” in Arabic script.
The text, alongside two chocolate bar emojis, read: “I wholeheartedly support this message. I hope you do too!”
One critic, activist Drew Pavlou, said: “This is nonsense, the headband is a mockery of chocolate milk but is designed to look exactly like the green headbands worn by Hamas fighters.”
Ms Thorpe’s account posted two responses to Mr Pavlou before blocking him: one with three chocolate bar emojis with no text and a second response mocking him: “Or provoking predictable reactionaries like you?”
That message, which has now been deleted, appeared to go against Thorpe’s original explanation that the selfie had been an innocent mistake. She has now claimed that the provocative response to Pavlou was actually written by a member of staff.
Daily Mail Australia can also confirm that the Australian Federal Police have received a “crime report” over the photo.
Pictured: The now-deleted photo Lidia Thorpe posted on X on Tuesday afternoon.
Pictured: Drew Pavlou’s response to Thorpe’s controversial selfie on Tuesday. She responded with three chocolate bar emojis.
There is no suggestion that Ms Thorpe committed a crime, only that the selfie was passed on to police.
In a statement on Thursday, Thorpe said: “As I have said, I was not aware that this headband, which says ‘I love chocolate milk’, resembled items worn by Hamas members. When I became aware of this, I decided to remove the post immediately and apologised to anyone who was offended.
‘The responses on my account to the user referred to by Daily Mail Australia were not written or authorised by me, and I was not aware of those responses before they were deleted, along with the initial post.
‘Our usual approval processes were not followed in relation to those responses, and our office is reviewing our processes in relation to staff comments on my behalf.
‘I strongly reject any suggestion that I would intentionally attempt to display any kind of prohibited symbol. This is a very serious and potentially defamatory suggestion, which is false.
‘To be very clear, I do not support the violence committed by Hamas and I do not advocate any kind of violence in Palestine or anywhere else. I continue to advocate for peace and a ceasefire.
‘And I will reiterate once again: this post was intended as a light-hearted post, aimed at Arabic-speaking people.’
In response to his “bait” comment, Pavlou wrote: “The only reactionary here is you. Baiting people with messages claiming to support a terrorist group that tortures and executes Palestinian opponents.”
Another post from Lidia Thorpe’s X account suggested she uploaded the selfie to ‘catch’ her critics (pictured)
Pavlou told the Daily Mail Australia he was surprised the senator appeared to double down on her selfie efforts once she was brought to attention.
“I was one of the first people to criticize her. I saw it within minutes of posting it on her account.”
In her original statement to Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday, Ms Thorpe explained that she had been given the headband as a gift and did not realise it resembled clothing worn by Hamas.
“This was intended as a light-hearted post about chocolate milk for the many Arabic-speaking people I have met and worked with throughout my career,” she said.
‘When I realized that people had made a connection that was not intended and I got angry, I deleted the post.
‘I did not mean to cause harm or distress and I apologize to those who were upset by this.
‘My work defending Palestinian rights is about promoting peace and ending the violence we see every day.’
He then called on the Australian government to push for a ceasefire in Gaza and pledged to focus on those issues.
When she first posted the photo on Tuesday, she was heavily criticised by X-rated users who accused her of “dressing up” as a terrorist.
Others criticized the post, calling it offensive and divisive.
Ms Thorpe is an Indigenous activist who was a member of the Greens until 2023, when she became an independent representing the Black Sovereignty Movement.
