Lidia Thorpe has clashed with British Sky News presenter Kay Burley, who demanded to know why she accused the king of ‘genocide’ during her outburst at Parliament House.
The independent Victorian senator and outspoken Aboriginal activist made headlines around the world by shouting at King Charles after his speech in Canberra on Monday.
Dressed in a possum skin coat, Senator Thorpe repeatedly told the king ‘you’re not my king’, ‘f**k the colony’ and accused him of being a ‘genocidalist’.
Burley initially asked the senator what prompted her outburst.
“Global truth about the Royals who have caused so much destruction, not only for our people in this country, but for indigenous peoples around the world,” she said.
‘We don’t have a treaty in this country, we have been calling for a treaty for decades. We just want peace.’
Senator Thorpe said she wanted to see the incarceration rate among Aboriginal people fall and demanded those responsible for their deaths in custody be held to account.
‘We have our bones and our skulls are still in his possession or in the possession of his family,” she continued.
Speaking to Sky News presenter Kay Burley on Monday evening, the senator said the reason for her outburst was ‘to tell the truth’ and demand a ‘treaty’.
“We want that back, we want our country back and we want the king to take leadership and sit at the table and discuss a treaty with us, because a treaty is what will bring us peace.”
Burley then asked why she interrupted the king and called him a “genocidalist.”
“He recognized grievances in his speech, and you interrupted him and called him a genocidelist. Why is this the best way to handle this?’
Senator Thorpe responded by saying she did I didn’t interrupt his speech once, but I waited respectfully until the end.”
The TV host turned off the senator’s microphone and told her she only had a limited time, before asking again why she had used the term “genocidalist.”
“There are thousands of massacres in this country due to invasions and someone has to answer for that and he is the successor (to the Crown) and he has to answer,” Senator Thorpe said.
Lidia Thorpe shouted at the King after his speech in Canberra on Monday, shouting ‘f**k the colony’
The senator was then asked to comment on the criticism she had received over the incident, and responded that she was “not concerned” about what others thought.
‘One of your colleagues described you as abusing your position and your intervention was disgraceful. How do you respond to that,” Burley asked.
“I will continue to fight for justice for my people, we are the real sovereigns in this country. The king is not our sovereign, the king lives in your country, he is from your country – he cannot be our king,” she said.
The senator said she was portrayed as an “angry black woman.”
‘Well, I’m angry. “I’m angry because I see too many of our people dying and too many people in prison,” she said.
“We have no land, your king and his previous kings and queens stole it from us and we want it back and we will not stop resisting.”
Senator Thorpe then declared the interview over, prompting a laugh from Burley.
‘Thank you very much for your time, I am at an event and I have to go. I appreciate you taking the time to have me on your program,” said Senator Thorpe.
The king and queen appeared unfazed by the senator’s outburst at Monday’s reception, which ended quickly after Ms Thorpe was dragged away by security.
The 51 year old then posted a cartoon image on social media showing Charles being beheaded.
After being ejected from the room, Thorpe said she planned to serve Charles a “notice of complicity in the genocide of the first peoples of this county.”
However, she was prevented from doing so by security, who prevented her from getting close to His Majesty.
Senator Thorpe’s antipathy towards the Royal Family is long-standing.
When she was sworn into parliament in 2022, she called then-sovereign Queen Elizabeth II a “colonizer” and was reprimanded by the Senate president.