Lidia Thorpe has clashed with English Sky News presenter Kay Burley, who demanded to know why she accused the king of “genocide” during her outburst in Parliament.
The independent Victorian senator and outspoken Aboriginal activist made headlines around the world for shouting out King Charles after his speech in Canberra on Monday.
Dressed in a possum-skin coat, Senator Thorpe repeatedly told the king “you’re not my king”, “fuck the colony” and accused him of being a “genocidaire”.
Burley initially asked the senator what prompted her outburst..
“The global truth about the royals who caused so much devastation not only to our people in this country but also to indigenous peoples around the world,” he said.
‘We don’t have a treaty in this country, we have been asking for a treaty for decades and decades. We just want peace.’
Senator Thorpe said she wanted to see Aboriginal incarceration rates fall and demanded those responsible for their deaths in custody be held to account.
‘Have “our bones and our skulls are still in his or his family’s possession,” he continued.
Speaking to Sky News presenter Kay Burley on Monday night, the senator said the reason for her outburst was to “tell the truth” and demand a “treaty”.
“We want that back, we want our land back and we want the King to take some leadership and come to the table and discuss a treaty with us because a treaty is what will bring us peace.”
Burley then asked why he interrupted the king and called him “genocidal.”
‘He acknowledged grievances in his speech, and you interrupted him and called him a genocidal. Why is this the best way to deal with this?’
Senator Thorpe responded by saying that she “doesn’t “I never once interrupted his speech, I respectfully waited until the end.”
The television host cut off the senator’s microphone and told her she had little time, before asking again why she had used the term “genocidal.”
“There are thousands of massacre sites in this country because of the invasion and someone has to answer for that and he is the successor (to the Crown) and he has to answer,” Senator Thorpe said.
Lidia Thorpe shouted at the King after his speech in Canberra on Monday and shouted ‘fuck the colony’.
The senator was then asked to comment on the criticism she had received over the incident and responded that she was “not concerned” about what others thought.
“One of your colleagues described it as an abuse of his position and his intervention was disgraceful. How do you respond to that?” Burley asked.
‘I will continue fighting for justice for my people, we are the true sovereigns of this country. The King is not our sovereign, the King lives in his country, he is from his country, he cannot be our King,” he said.
The senator said she was portrayed as an “angry black woman.”
‘Well, yes, I’m angry. “I’m angry because I see too many of our people dying, too many people imprisoned,” she said.
“We don’t have any land, your King and your previous kings and queens stole it from us and we want it back and we won’t stop resisting.”
Senator Thorpe then declared the interview over, prompting a laugh from Burley.
‘Thank you very much for your time, I’m at an event and I have to go. I appreciate you taking the time to include me in your program,” said Senator Thorpe.
The King and Queen appeared unfazed by the senator’s outburst during Monday’s reception, which ended quickly after Mrs Thorpe was dragged away by security.
The 51 year old man He then posted a cartoon image on social media showing Charles decapitated.
Speaking after being ejected from the chamber, Thorpe said she intended to serve Charles with a “notice of complicity in the genocide of the first people of this county”.
However, security prevented him from doing so and prevented him from approaching His Majesty.
Senator Thorpe’s antipathy towards the royal family is long-standing.
When she was sworn into parliament in 2022, she referred to then-sovereign Queen Elizabeth II as a “colonizer” and was reprimanded by the president of the Senate.
