King charles Heckled in Australia

Lidia Thorpe is a virulent misogynist.

She has form for pretending to oppose UK imperialism (which is fine to oppose if you can do so in accurately and equitably) as an excuse to silence and marginalise women, including - and some would say especially - indigenous women.

The clip I've linked is her attempting to shut down a public forum for women organised by a British activist, Kellie-Jay Keen, who ran a series of events across Australia and NZ simply giving space for local women to come and speak about the debilitating and increasing sexism of society and politics in Aus and NZ.

Now, you may say why should a British woman come and do this, and I'd agree with you - except that this particular woman was invited by local indigenous womens' groups, among others, who had tried and failed to get any respect or space to speak (they had previously been literally shut down and pushed out by male supremacists, and the local press failed or openly refused to cover these instances) speaking out on their own, and so in desperation they found someone with success abroad who they thought might cut through the insanity.

Thorpe can certainly say what she wants, but if you're going to judge her please do so in context. She is a regressive force in Australian politics. Women are human, including indigenous women, and are fully entitled to all of the rights granted to Australian citizens, now as much as ever. Thanks for reading this; it matters.

Saying direct action and protest makes someone seem dumb is an asinine comment.
Direct action and protest is an important part of a democracy. You may not agree with the protest against Charles, but to condemn all protest and direct action is gob smacking.
The suffragettes achieved vote for women both through campaigning and influencing, and through direct action and protest. Suffragists had been campaigning and influencing for many many years with zero impact until suffragettes started to also employ the use of protest and direct action.

This article is from a pretty unbiased Australian news site. She is controversial because she carries out direct actions.

https://apnews.com/article/australia-canberra-king-charles-visit-4ea87d39d17c4a9fe3cbfab3455fb8f7

It’s not racist to point out that she is setting back her cause by her methods. All of the extreme campaigners on every issue do this, whether they like to accept it or not. Just stop oil, trans rights activists, Black Lives Matter (the extreme wing) all do a disservice to their cause.

Yes racists don’t like her, but many many people who are supportive of indigenous rights also find her extreme tactics embarrassing and counterproductive. And that, makes her seem rather dumb.

I am in full agreement with former Senator Nova Peris an indigenous woman and former Olympian who wrote this on twitter:

“Today’s Outburst by Senator Lidia Thorpe Does Not Reflect all of Aboriginal Australia.

As a former Senator and the first Aboriginal woman in the Australian Parliament, I am deeply disappointed by the actions of Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe during King Charles III’s visit to Parliament House. Her outburst, which disrupted what should have been a respectful event, was both embarrassing and disrespectful to our nation and the Royal Family.

In 2022, Senator Thorpe herself affirmed allegiance to the Crown during her swearing-in ceremony, as required by Section 42 of the Australian Constitution, stating: “I do solemnly and sincerely affirm and declare that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, her heirs and successors according to law.” This is a reminder that, regardless of personal beliefs, respecting our nation’s constitutional framework is essential, especially as an elected representative. If Senator Thorpe was not on board with this, she should not have accepted her position and made her affirmation in the first place.

For over 2 decades I have supported the principle that Australia should one day become a republic. Indeed, as a former co-chair of the Australian Republican Movement I advocated strongly for this. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that such decisions are for the Australian people to make through democratic means—not through rude interruptions or public outbursts. Senator Thorpe’s actions today do not reflect the manners, or approach to reconciliation, of Aboriginal Australians at large. They reflect only her, and it is important to clarify that the vast majority of us would not engage in this unconstructive confrontational way.

Australia is moving forward in its journey of reconciliation. As a nation, we are continually recognising the deep injustices faced by Aboriginal people. However, as hard as that journey is, it requires respectful dialogue, mutual understanding, and a shared commitment to healing—not divisive actions that draw attention away from the progress we are making as a country.

I would like to extend my sincere apologies to King Charles III and Queen Camilla on behalf of all those who value mutual respect and the dignity of our nation. When King Charles visited Yolngu Country in 2018, he was welcomed with great respect and warmth by the traditional owners of the land, who honoured him with a traditional ceremony. That moment exemplified the kind of engagement we need—one where respect is earned and given in equal measure.

Aboriginal Australia values these opportunities for cultural exchange and understanding. We are a proud people, deeply connected to our history, but we also recognise the importance of moving forward together as a unified nation.

Lidia Thorpe’s actions today do not reflect all of our people’s views or values. I hope King Charles and Queen Camilla will continue to visit and engage with communities across Australia, where they are welcomed with respect and dignity.”

That's kind of like saying that a black person who has white ancestors can't recognise the harm that white people have done. Of course they can still recognise and advocate.

I think she's right. I think it's icky that Charles is happy to parade in a country where the Royal family have been part of extensive harm to indigenous people there for many years without proper acknowledgement of that.

I understand that the act of shouting like that may seem distasteful to some but it got us talking ... it did shine a light on the issue to some extent. I think she could have been harsher tbh.

I would make a plea not to mock indigenous activists or to post nonsense about indigenous rights or language used when you have zero understanding of the issues, simply because you want to defend Charles.
Those in Australia defending Charles that are respected criticise the form of protest being used. They say Lydia was disrespectful. You may think her form of protest was wrong or right. That is a matter of opinion.
But it is embarrassing to read some of the comments on this thread criticising her from a position of zero understanding of the issues.

@Albaamy121 I am not Australian, but a close friend is part Aboriginal Australian. She is part Aboriginal, because her mother was taken by force from her family as a child and placed with a white foster family. This was a deliberate attempt to make aboriginal children culturally white. Many of these children grew up and married local white men and women, before finding their original Aboriginal families and re-discovering their heritage.
It is why anyone saying someone with one white parent is not really Aboriginal shows a profound lack of understanding of what happened in Aboriginal communities. Imagine your British children being stolen and placed with a family that had immigrated to Britain and part of a colonising force, and then being told your grandchildren are not really British?

@KnottedTwine King of England is widely used mockingly by people in Scotland and N. Ireland who do not like the monarchy. They are well aware the United Kingdom is far larger than just England. I think it is you who does not understand the terms being used.
Some indigenous activists view Scotland, N Ireland and Wales as countries colonised by the English. In this framework, King of England is correct.
You have to understand that political slogans often have wider context behind them.

She is an indigenous rights activist. Yes she is mocked by racists. She is mocked by the Australian equivalents of Jeremy Clarkson and Piers Morgan.
You may not agree with her political tactics, but to throw insults like this is just childish.

There are many Indigenous Australians who look white, who may be only a quarter or an eighth aboriginal who still rightly claim their heritage. White colonisers tried to 'breed' the black out of the Stolen Generation and integrate them into white society while still holding them in racist contempt. It's an ugly and painful, fairly recent history and many indigenous people here are still suffering from intergenerational trauma and overt racism.
I don't particularly like Lidia Thorpe, she's a bit nuts, but I can totally see where she's coming from.

King of England is factually wrong.

England is not the UK. And it's even more ironic as she was protesting the fact he's King in Australia too (and in lots of other Commonwealth countries). Using "King of England" just shows her up as thick and uneducated.

And from the posts detailing her previous exploits, it seems she has form for this sort of stupid stunt.