In the digital age, social media has become the battleground for political statements and public outcry, with every post potentially sparking a national conversation or controversy.

This was certainly the case for a prominent Australian politician, whose social media page became the centre of a heated debate following the sharing of a contentious image involving King Charles III.

As discussions about personal rights and public personas continue to unfold, this incident serves as a reminder of the complexities involved in navigating fame and public image in the digital age.

Independent Senator Thorpe, known for her outspoken advocacy on Indigenous rights, found herself at the heart of a social media storm when a cartoon depicting a decapitated King Charles III was posted on her social media page’s story.

The graphic image, which was accompanied by the text ‘You are not our king,’ echoed the sentiments Thorpe vocalised during a protest in Parliament House in Canberra.

Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe deleted a controversial image from her social media, which she alleged had been shared without her approval. Credit: Facebook / Senator Lidia Thorpe

‘Earlier tonight, without my knowledge, one of my staff shared an image to my Instagram stories created by another account,’ Thorpe explained on her social media page.

‘I deleted it as soon as I saw.’

‘I would not intentionally share anything that could be seen to encourage violence against anyone,’ she added.

The senator's demonstration was as bold as it was polarising, with her cries of ‘give us our land back’, ‘not your land’, and ‘you are not my king. You are not our king,’ reverberating through the Great Hall.

She also urged the king to ‘give us a treaty’ and was heard saying, ‘f*** the colony’ before security ultimately removed her.

The protest itself was a significant moment, capturing the attention of all present and quickly becoming a topic of national conversation.

Thorpe's actions were met with a spectrum of reactions, from those who lauded her as ‘legendary’ for her audacity to stand up for Indigenous sovereignty to others who condemned the disruption as disrespectful.

Among the critics was former Indigenous senator and Olympian Nova Peris, who said she was ‘deeply disappointed’ at what she considered an embarrassing and disrespectful display during what should have been a respectful event.

‘Her outburst, which disrupted what should have been a respectful event, was both embarrassing and disrespectful to our nation and the Royal Family,’ Peris wrote on social media.

As tensions flared during the protest, the royal visit continued to captivate the attention of the public, with King Charles and Queen Camilla charming Australian crowds.

While Senator Lidia Thorpe’s outburst highlighted the ongoing discussions around Indigenous rights and representation, the royal couple’s warm reception underscored their commitment to fostering positive relations with the community.

This juxtaposition of protest and celebration illustrates the complex dynamics at play during their visit, reminding us of the diverse perspectives that shape our nation’s narrative.

Key Takeaways

• Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe deleted a contentious image that was shared on her social media page without her approval, reportedly showing a cartoon of King Charles III's decapitated head.
• The senator had protested during King Charles' speech in Parliament House in Canberra, making headlines with her actions and vocal opposition.
• The image shared on Thorpe's social media page included the phrase ‘You are not our king’, echoing her comments made during the protest in the Great Hall.
• While Thorpe has received both praise and criticism for her demonstration, she stated she does not endorse violence and that the post did not reflect her values.

We invite our readers to share their thoughts on this matter. How do you feel about the use of social media by public figures to make political statements? Do you believe Senator Thorpe's protest was effective in raising awareness, or do you think it crossed a line? Join the discussion in the comments below and let us know your perspective on the intersection of politics, protest, and social media etiquette.

 

[gordon1940]

Yes she hates the monarchy but still takes her insane salary from it , hypocrisy at its best

Let us NOT forget that She pledged loyalty to the Crown to take Her seat in Parliament.

 

[BigAl6164]

Just had a thought (yes, it hurt!) Parliamentarians swore allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II "and her heirs*."

Surely this is incorrect. Charles was the Queen's heir before succeeding her as King. Was it intended that Parliamentarians should swear allegiance to Elizabeth, and Charles, William and George - all of whom are or were at the time her heirs?

Should the oath of allegiance not have been to "Queen Elizabeth and her *successors* (as sovereign)"?

* Except Senator Thorpe, who swore allegiance to Queen Elizabeth and her hairs.

 

[drambuie69]

When Ms Thorpe attended Parliament to be sworn in, she had to swear her allegiance to the 'Queen, her heirs or successors.' She declined to make that oath, the Speaker of the House had her escorted from the House until such time she made the Oath. No Member can take their Seat in the Parliament until the Oath is taken. A short time later she returned to the House and took the Oath otherwise she would not be allowed to take her Seat with the result that there would have to be another election in her electorate. The Oath, obviously doesn't mean anything to her which only enforces my feelings that she is un-trustworthy, devious and cannot be a person with good values. I had to take the Oath on two occasions and respected the honour and the values it stood for....

 

[NotNats]

Senator Thorpe needs to be removed from all Parliamentary duties ASAP.
She is a disgrace to her people and to all who call Australia Home.
In other countries she would be held for treason or worse.
Isn't she lucky she lives is "Lets Forgive Everything Australia"

 

[GrannyJA!]

The woman is a foul-mouthed gutter snipe, continually screaming for another 15 minutes of fame. She makes most Australians cringe whenever she opens her mouth. She's not helping her people, just making sure that her own legacy is that of a publicity seeking so-called senator who probably needs help for mental health issues.

 

[Koda]

My husband and myself lived and worked with the native aboriginal peoples for many years and they do not behave in this manner as they class it as shaming themselves and their race. To represent the indigenous in parliament she is a disgrace to her race and this kind of behaviour incites hated and riots. Shame on you a Senator you should be removed from parliament

 

[Nichola]

Lidia Thorpe should not be in Politics. Her display of disrespect for King Charles was disgusting of any Politician whose income comes from the Government coffers. I for one am fed up with all this respect for the Aboriginal people when they don't respect us ordinary Australians. How many times do we have to say sorry for what happened generations ago. I know back then they were treated badly, but, get over it. It was not us, today's people who did this to you but, you keep dragging up the past. I think that you have been treated decently since and should just move on. I am not labelling all Aborigines in this, but the ones that want attention. Lidia Thorpe is one of them. Stop whingeing like a Pom.

I agree with your comments - particularly noting the disrespect to King Charles.

But you couldn't help yourself adding, irrationally, 'Stop wingeing like a Pom'.

Where's the respect there, Janice?

 

[Thecla]

Absolutely disgusting behaviour and a total embarrassment to the country she represents. There are already indigenous members in the parliament and they don't shout and scream and act like spoilt brats. She needs to be sacked and I object as a taxpayer to paying her wages to fund her loudmouthed lifestyle - she should go back to her bikie gang where she came from.

And take her possum coat with her!!

 

[Gunpark]

Lydia Thorpe should be removed from Parliament on mental grounds and perjury. I wonder what those who voted for her are thinking. She is certainly mentally disturbed and has incorrectly sworn an oath. Either of these should have her locked up.

 

[Thecla]

This woman is a total disgrace and should be removed from parliament. Months back when that yes vote thinking was on we were traveling around Darwin and surrounds. Many on the trip were asking the aboriginal people we spoke with what were their opinions on the yes vote. Not one we’re in favour of it, wasn’t going to do a thing for them and this woman was in the forefront of it all with her coat of many possums

 

[Gezzabel]

I’m embarrassed to call myself Australian. That politician has a lot to answer for. I can’t believe that our taxes are paying for her foul mouth tirade. Now they are trying to blame an assault a few months ago, as an excuse for her behaviour. She probably deserved it totally. I feel like lining up myself to throw eggs at her. She takes an oath when sworn in, but she has destroyed it. Get rid of her now. The king has lost a lot of respect, because of what has to Diana. Nevertheless, respect and common decency, towards any human being, should be respected. Gezabel.

 

[Isis]

Took far too long to remove her, she could have had a weapon, they didn’t know. Someone should remind this twit nobody owns our land, we are all caretakers of it.

 

[fittsy]

what is wrong with this person? time and place for any protest. can understand that she represents the indigenios group, but this method, only shows a sense of stupid and contempt behavior, well I personally not impressed with this couple, Charles and Camlla, or the way of being our sovereign,but , still do not think this clown goes about becoming headlines with her publc outbursts, my thinking . only down grades what the people she represents.

 

[Barbara V]

It made me cringe that any woman especially her could demene their gender and heritage by completely going off her rocker and embarrassing themselves. By shouting and screaming you don't achieve anything because people turn off of what you are screaming and just don't listen . Shame on her

 

[Jancgr]

Senator Thorpe ignores a section of her family tree - her genealogical inheritance.
She is a disgrace to her ancestry line whichever side!

 

[SGH]

She is about as aboriginal as I am. Born here! She has not sworn the oath as the media has shown, so she can be shown the door and be sued for taking a wage under false pretensions. The speaker told her to go back and do it properly, why was she not chastised when she did it the second time acting like the fool she is. Charles can take her home as the court jester for what good she does here.

 

[Larcol]

You are an embarrasment to all Australians. Shame on you for your outburst, disgusting behaviour. She should be removed...

 

[Reet]

If Thorpe doesn't believe in our King's rule then why did she take a seat in parliament. This is part of the imperial system to which she says she does not belong nor does she have any respect for it.

 

[Reet]

She is about as aboriginal as I am. Born here! She has not sworn the oath as the media has shown, so she can be shown the door and be sued for taking a wage under false pretensions. The speaker told her to go back and do it properly, why was she not chastised when she did it the second time acting like the fool she is. Charles can take her home as the court jester for what good she does here.

If she resigns from parliament she will also get a gigantic pension which she doesn't deserve!

 

[TrishBin]

She should be kicked out of parliament. Why are we paying her $250,000 a year. If she wants what Australia was with no housing, education, hospitals or any other good thing that British colonialisation has brought then give back the money and go live on a deserted island. She is lucky it was the British who came here. The Spanish were well known for erasing all indigenous people like Maya or Inca and so on. The Dutch, French, Portuguese and others were far more brutal when colonising places like Australia. She doesn’t know the truth and can’t tell the difference between her ideas and the truth. Her behaviour in front of the king was disgusting and embarrassing for this country. She needs to grow up and realise that most people including the king were laughing at her. She is so over the top that she is a waste of space. A treaty is all about getting lots of money from the average Australian and has nothing to do with better living conditions for the people in the APY lands and similar places. She has demeaned the place where our country passes laws to try to help people stay safe. Look at the Sudanese kids in SA who now run two gangs of criminals who will kill innocent people just for the fun of it. They need to be sent back to Sudan with their parents who have failed to raise them to leave hatred and violence in the Sudan. They have passed their own hatred that was the case in the Sudan on to their children and they have caused them to become violent criminals. Deport the lot. I have read so many stories of mothers with young children having to leave violence at home and the absolutely ridiculous rules they have to follow in order to stay safe until they have a job and can afford a place to live. Why not build little towns of mini houses and let these poor families live in them with dignity and the knowledge that the kids can stay safely behind crim screen doors. It’s a simple answer to the problem. Also repair the several hundred housing trust homes that have been damaged by tenants who were then given another home! Stop the behaviour of repaying those tenants who damage houses and never give them another. Also take couples in 3-4 bedroom homes and put them in units. Just because they have been there for 25 years and at cheap rent doesn’t give them the right to long term homes at low rent or lifelong homes at low rent. We have often heard of these people having an annual overseas holiday! It’s not on. If they can afford that then they don’t need public housing. They need to get jobs like those of us who pay for their subsidised housing and obviously we don’t charge enough. Lying on their tax returns to get extra things is also offensive to those of us who work for 40 years and then pay our own pension, which despite what the politicians say in most cases is not millions but enough to be comfortable with maybe a short holiday each year. It’s the elites, Teals and politicians who have the money to live like kings and queens. It is not most SMSF people. And if such people have worked so hard paying taxes all along the then they deserve that money. They earned it and it paid for a lot of pensioners and lazy sods on multi generational unemployment. I don’t get anything from the government except after paying $1660.00 or so at the pharmacy, some medicines are $7.70 plus often a surcharge for it being a brand. Not all generics are the same as brand name drugs as they have different fillers etc. and are made who knows where. And many are private prescriptions. Why is a country like ours not making its own products?? Because the labour cost here is horrendous due to people like the unions. The actual government clerks now are going on strike for a 10% pay rise, then 6% the following year and then 5%. Who do these paper shufflers think they are? Inflation is no where near 10% and if you give them that, then the amount the following year is much higher as it is 6% on top of 10%. It’s not just on what they earn now but on the whole lot. That’s why all these claims want a large first year rise. It makes the next rise seem reasonable but it’s not. It’s 6% on top of original plus 10%. That gets very expensive. There was a time when you only bought what you had the money for. Now banks offer you money to pay back even bigger amounts because people don’t save for what they need. But the tide is turning and the government and banks are starting to worry as people are not spending money they don’t have any more and it upsets their modelling on the economy. More fool they! They should have listened to the older generation who knew they had to save before spending. Well I am part of that older generation and we have been proved right!!