Lidia Thorpe breaks silence on Queen’s death: Indigenous Greens Senator

Lidia Thorpe has finally broken her silence over the Queen’s death and says she will not ‘rant and rave’ – before calling for the new King Charles to be dropped as Australia’s head of state.

The outspoken Greens senator who previously recited the parliamentary oath of allegiance while slamming the her Majesty as a ‘coloniser’, had remained unusually quiet following the monarch’s death on Thursday. 

However, she has now released a statement on Twitter while saying she has had ‘some days to reflect’.   

‘I know that people wanted me to come out ranting and raving to confirm their views of me as a crazy Blak woman,’ she wrote. 

‘In the days since, I’ve seen anger and disbelief from First Nations people at the glorification of our oppressor.

In August, Ms Thorpe raised eyebrows after she marched into the floor of parliament and gave a Black Power salute before pledging allegiance to the Queen

‘I’ve seen our political leaders continue the oppressive narrative that continues to keep First People in this Country down. They’ve shown zero regard for us, or how we’re feeling, or the fact that we’ve been calling for Day of Mourning for over 80 years.

‘This Country has a new King. The parliament and the Prime Minister are subjugated to someone we didn’t elect. We don’t need a new King, we need a head of state chosen by the people.’

In August, Ms Thorpe raised eyebrows after she marched into the floor of parliament and gave a Black Power salute as she prepared to take her oath for the start of a new post-election parliament.

After raising her right fist, she begrudgingly swore to the Queen.

‘I will be faithful and I bear true allegiance to the colonising Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second,’ the controversial politician said in a mocking tone. 

Australia was a British colony for more than 100 years, a period during which thousands of Aboriginal Australians were killed and communities were displaced.

The country gained de facto independence in 1901, but has never become a fully fledged republic.

In 1999, Australians narrowly voted against removing the Queen, amid a row over whether her replacement would be chosen by members of parliament, not the public.

Lydia Thorpe previously recited the parliamentary oath of allegiance while slamming the Queen as a ‘coloniser’

King Charles III waving at well-wishers as he arrives at Buckingham Palace on Sunday

Polls show most Australians are in favour of being a republic, but there is little agreement on how a head of state should be chosen.

The debate was reopened after the Queen’s death, though Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hosed down talk of Australia becoming a republic any time soon.

Despite the Prime Minister being in favour of Australia replacing the monarchy with a local head of state, he said it would not happen in his first term.

Mr Albanese said out of ‘deep respect and admiration’ for The Queen he would not pursue ‘questions about our constitution’ at least until he was reelected.

However, Aboriginal senator Ms Thorpe insisted that the question needs to be pursued. 

‘The process towards being able to pick our own head of state would bring us all together – it would force us to tell the truth about our history and move us towards real action to right the wrongs that started with colonisation,’ she wrote.

‘Incarceration rates, deaths in custody and child removals are all symptoms of an ongoing war against First Nations people in this Country. Treaty is an end to the war. We have an opportunity to do things differently in this country. It’s time for the Govt to show some ambition. 

‘We could use this moment and momentum to empower people to democratically elect our own leader. Someone who represents all of us, uniting a country that has owned up to its past and chosen its own future. That unity would be more powerful than any King. But we must Treaty first.’