Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe has been formally condemned by other members of Australia’s Parliament, over her verbal protest against King Charles during his royal visit last month. It doesn’t seem like she’s too hung up on being scolded though, as Thorpe has doubled down on her notorious heckle.
The Indigenous senator made international headlines in October when she yelled anti-colonialist slogans at King Charles and Queen Camilla during a fancy royal event in Canberra.
“Give us our land back that you stole from us. You committed genocide against our people,” she shouted, as well as various condemnations against the colony and crown.
Thorpe immediately copped huge backlash from people who thought her protest was “embarrassing” and “disrespectful”. In response, various senior Liberal politicians called for Thorpe to resign, or be censured in Parliament.
Which is why this morning, Parliament’s Upper House voted on a censure movement against two members of the House: Lidia Thorpe, and Ralph Babet. The movement passed with 46 votes to 12 votes.
During the motion Thorpe could be heard blasting the other senators for passing the censure, yelling “shame on you all”, and saying she would heckle the King again if she could.
"shame on you all" Lidia Thorpe yells after the Senate passed a censure motion against her (when she wasn't yet in the chamber) 46-12 earlier after her interruption of King Charles' reception
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) November 17, 2024
hard to tell on this audio from the chamber but she appears to say "I'll do it again" pic.twitter.com/pnvJCGMBzQ
Lidia Thorpe rips her censure
In yet another display of protest, Lidia Thorpe responded to the motion by tearing up the piece of paper the censure vote was written on.
She described the censure motion as a “piece of paper and a vote”, which she believes is “what is wrong with the colony”.
“There were rules that were made by a bunch of old white fellas in 1901, and that’s how politicians have got away with bad behaviour since this place was established,” Thorpe said in a snap press conference.
She then referenced a famous protest that occurred in the New Zealand Parliament last week that began with one member ripping up a piece of paper.
ICYMI: in response to the proposal of a controversial bill that would repeal various Māori rights, 22-year-old MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke tore a copy of the bill in half and began performing the “Ka Mate” haka. Peep the footage below.
@pedestriantv Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke led a protest as the New Zealand Parliament was voting on a bill that would change the 187-year-old treaty between the British and the Indigenous Māori. (Translated by All Blacks Expereinece) #haka #māori #newzealand ♬ original sound – PEDESTRIAN.TV
After her censure motion passed, Thorpe gave a nod to the protest by repeating the tearing of paper.
“If we look at what our brothers and sisters did in New Zealand, [a] censure motion is like that to me. I don’t give a damn about [a] censure motion,” she said.
“In fact, I’m going to use it for kindling later on in the week.”
Thorpe also doubled down on her initial protest against the head of the British Royal Family, saying that media exposure she gets from being condemned will only add oxygen to her flame.
This censure motion shows where the major parties priorities lie.
— Senator Lidia Thorpe (@SenatorThorpe) November 18, 2024
They don’t stand with First Peoples in this country. They stand against justice for our people, preferring instead to defend a foreign king, rather than listen to the truth. pic.twitter.com/e925yEqNyX
“In trying to shut me down, you have only just given me more media, more exposure, and if the colonising king were to come to my country again, our country, then I’ll do it again,” Thorpe said.
“And I will keep doing it. I will resist colonisation in this country. I swear my allegiance to the real sovereigns of these lands. First Peoples are the real sovereigns.”
Ralph Babet censured for ‘repugnant’ Tweets
You may have noticed there was another name on the censure motion. That being the little-known Victorian Senator Ralph Babet: a former real estate agent and the only ‘success’ of Clive Palmer’s $100 million election campaign in 2022.
Babet has used his platform in the senate to express a far-right voice, and often tweets his support for Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and Andrew Tate.
After the re-election of Trump as US President, Babet posted a provocative tweet which featured the n-word, f-slur, and r-slur.
“In my house we say [these words]. We are sick of you clowns. Cry more. Write an article. Tweet about me. No one cares,” he wrote.
Much to the surprise of Babet, people did care, and he was condemned for his “use of hate speech” by the Senate.
Babet’s actions were described as “repugnant” by members of the Upper House, and the former real estate agent was censured in the same motion as Thorpe.
Ultimately, a censure motion is only formal reprimanding from the Government and/or Opposition toward a politician for their unapproved behaviour.
It does not have any weight on either impacted senator’s future voting, and they will both remain a member of the Upper House until voted out in the next Senate election.
Lead Image: Getty
The post Lidia Thorpe Referenced That Iconic NZ Parliament Haka Protest After Her Censure For Royal Heckle appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
