Throw a dart in a world map and wherever it lands you can bet the British have invaded, plundered the resources, and enslaved the people who live there. Happily, the British Empire is now a fast-fading memory, but its shadow looms over many countries as a painful colonial hangover.
One particular headache is Australia, a former British colony that’s kept King Charles as the head of state. This began with Captain Cook landing at Botany Bay in 1770, who claimed Australia’s east coast for Great Britain and established a penal colony. A pattern familiar to anyone familiar with colonialism followed: the indigenous people had their land stolen, their culture ransacked, and they were killed off by waves of deadly infectious diseases carried by their colonizers.
All of which means there are a lot of Indigenous Australians for whom King Charles’ celebratory visit — taking place this October as part of his inaugural Commonwealth trip as monarch — is the equivalent of him spinning donuts on their ancestors’ graves. And, refreshingly, one senator isn’t taking this sitting down.
Lidia Thorpe, an independent senator from Victoria, approached Charles wearing a pretty awesome-looking outfit yelling “this is not your country” and “you are not our king!” She continued:
“You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us – our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want a treaty in this country. You are a genocidalist. This is not your land. You are not my king. You are not our king.”
Security sprang into action to restrain her, leaving Charles confused and stunned. As she was led out she chanted “f**k the colony!” Pretty badass. After being removed from the event Thorpe was briefly detained but wasn’t arrested and doesn’t seem to be facing any criminal charges.
Thorpe’s position is that Australia has “unfinished business” about its treatment of Aboriginal peoples and demands justice. In a statement on Monday, she said:
“As First Peoples, we never ceded our sovereignty over this land. The crown invaded this country, has not sought treaty with First Peoples, and committed a genocide of our people. King Charles is not the legitimate sovereign of these lands. Any move towards a republic must not continue this injustice. Treaty must play a central role in establishing an independent nation.”
Unfortunately for those looking to dethrone Charles, the legal route to giving him the boot is looking difficult. Australia had a referendum on becoming a republic in 1999. 54.87% voted to keep them, though with Elizabeth now out of the picture, we suspect a new referendum may go the other way.
That’s probably why the pro-monarchy Australian government has said a second referendum is “not a priority.” So, for now, Australia is stuck with Charles, much to the disgust of those who see him as a symbol of historic crimes against humanity. Oh well, at least Thorpe and her people got to tell this dinosaur what she thought of him face-to-face.
