Senator Lidia Thorpe has retracted a photo of herself wearing a Hamas-style headband, saying she did not realise she was linked to the terror group.
The independent senator from Victoria came under heavy criticism when she posted the controversial selfie on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday afternoon.
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!”
Users were quick to condemn the senator for posing with the green headband, which was almost identical to the one often worn by terrorists and Hamas supporters.
Ms Thorpe had removed the photo from her profile by Wednesday morning, but not before her critics reposted screenshots across the social media platform.
In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Ms Thorpe explained that she was given the headband as a gift and did not realise it resembled clothing worn by Hamas.
Pictured: The now-deleted photo Lidia Thorpe posted on X on Tuesday afternoon.
By Wednesday morning, the photo had been removed from the social media platform (pictured).
“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.
Pictured: Members of the Hamas terrorist group wearing green headbands.
Social media users were quick to condemn the firebrand senator for posting the photo.
One user said: ‘Shame on you, Lidia Thorpe!’
Another wrote: “A politician from a democratically governed country dresses up as a terrorist. What a strange personality Lidia Thorpe has.”
A third user wrote: ‘Lidia Thorpe just posted a picture of herself wearing a H*mas headband… Supporting the “H*mas message” is supporting a genocide against all Jews. This is appalling.
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.
On Monday, he addressed a rally for a “free Palestine” in Melbourne, comparing the violence in Gaza to the attempted genocide of indigenous Australians by European settlers.
“As black people in this country, we know what it’s like to be targeted by the colonizer, every minute of every day,” he told the crowd.
“And as soon as we take a wrong step… his boot is on our neck.
“We became perpetrators, we became enemies for opposing genocide, for opposing injustice.”
Senator Lidia Thorpe has been an outspoken supporter of Palestine amid the ongoing conflict with Israel
Lidia Thorpe is pictured at the Mid-Winter Ball in early July, wearing a pro-Palestine dress with the divisive phrase “from the river to the sea.”
He mentioned the newly independent Western Australian Senator Fatima Payman, who dramatically resigned from the Labor Party in early July over its failure to take an adequate stance on the Gaza conflict.
Ms Payman claimed she had been ostracised by the Labour bloc for speaking out on the issue and challenged party bosses by accusing Israel of committing genocide in Parliament.
“Look at Senator Payman and how she was treated every day when she walked across that floor,” Thorpe told the crowd Monday.
“But I can tell you now that with Senator Payman on the independent bench, we will hold everyone accountable.”
At the parliamentary midwinter ball on July 3, Ms Thorpe arrived in a pro-Palestine dress with the divisive phrase “from the river to the sea” embroidered on the front.
The dress also had a blood-stained look at the bottom, while her handbag bore the slogan: ‘Love harder’.