Australian lawmakers have voted to censure a local senator who expressed “deep disapproval” of his protest with King Charles during his visit to Canberra last month.
Lydia Thorpe chanted “You are not my king” and “This is not your land” shortly after the King’s address to the Great Hall of Parliament in an attempt to highlight the effects of British colonialism.
The Senate condemnation, which passed 46-12, called Thorpe’s actions “disrespectful and disruptive” and said he should be disqualified from representing the chamber as a member of any delegation.
The censure motion is politically symbolic but carries no constitutional or legal weight.
Shortly after the Senate vote on Monday, Thorpe told reporters that he had been denied the right to respond in the chamber because of a flight delay.
“The British Crown committed heinous crimes against the first people of this country… I will not remain silent,” the independent senator said.
His protest last month drew immediate ire from across the political aisle as well as from some prominent Straits and Torres Strait Islander leaders.
But it was also praised by some activists who argued that it highlighted the plight of Australia’s first inhabitants, who endured colonial violence and still had access to health, wealth, wealth compared to non-Indigenous Australians. They face serious disadvantages in terms of education and life expectancy.
Despite the protests, the monarch was warmly received by Australian crowds during his five-day tour with Queen Camilla.
“You have shown great respect for Australians, even as we debate the future of our constitutional arrangements and the nature of our relationship with the Crown. Nothing stands still,” Prime Minister Anthony Albany said in a statement. said in an official address.
Thorpe has a history of local activism that has at times grabbed international headlines.
During their swearing-in ceremony in 2022, Gannai, Gandtjamara and Jabab Warang Khatun referred to Queen Elizabeth II as a colonel – and were asked to take the oath after facing criticism.
Last year, Australia decisively rejected a proposal to constitutionally recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and allow them to establish a body that would represent parliament on issues affecting their communities. Can advise.
The referendum – known as the vote – has been mired in intense campaigning, and both sides of politics have sought to move quickly, leaving uncertainty over future policy.
Although the figures showed a majority of people in the Straits Islands and Torres Strait Islander voted ‘yes’, support was not unanimous. Thorpe himself was a leading ‘No’ campaigner, criticizing the move as tokenistic.
