According to reports in the national press, King Charles was welcomed on the second day of his visit to the country in the capital, Canberra, by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the leader of the opposition Liberal Party, Peter Dutton.
In his speech at the parliament, Albanese said, "It is a great pleasure to welcome you here, at the heart of our democracy, as monarch for the first time," and thanked Charles for his visit.
King Charles addressed the Australian Parliament following Albanese. He spoke about his student years in Australia, the country's vulnerability to climate change, and the 'First Nations' indigenous people.
Following his speech, as King Charles was leaving the podium, he was met with a protest from Aboriginal Senator Lidia Thorpe, who approached the platform saying, "This is not your land. You are not my king. You are not our king."
Thorpe reacted to King Charles with the following words:
"You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us. You destroyed our land. We want a treaty in this country. You are a genocider."
Stating that the British monarchy occupied this country, Thorpe said, "King Charles is not the legitimate sovereign of these lands."
Senator Thorpe was subsequently removed from the parliament by security personnel.
In Australia, the 'Uluru Statement from the Heart,' prepared in 2017 at the proposal of the 'Uluru National Constitutional Convention' formed by indigenous leaders from across the country, had demanded a 'voice, treaty, and truth-telling.'
However, in the subsequent 'Indigenous Voice to Parliament' referendum, 60.5 percent of voters across all Australian states voted 'no.' Thus, the establishment of the 'Indigenous Voice to Parliament' delegation, consisting of Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people, was rejected.
News Source: 12punto
