CANBERRA, Australia (AP) 鈥� An Indigenous senator has intensified her criticism of , again accusing the British monarch of complicity in the 鈥済enocide鈥� against Australia鈥檚 First Nations peoples and declaring on Wednesday she will not be 鈥渟hut down.鈥�
Sen. Lidia Thorpe鈥檚 comments followed an encounter Monday where she was escorted out after shouting at him for British colonizers taking Indigenous land and bones.
Despite facing political and public backlash, Thorpe was resolute in a television interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and said she would continue to press for justice.
鈥淭he colonial system is all about shutting black women down in this country,鈥� Thorpe said from Melbourne. 鈥淔or those that don鈥檛 agree with what I have said and what I have done, I can tell you now there are elders, there are grassroots Aboriginal people across this country and Torres Strait Islander people who are just so proud.鈥�
鈥淚 have decided to be a Black sovereign woman and continue our fight against the colony and for justice for our people,鈥� she added.
Thorpe particularly highlighted the ongoing harm to Australia's First Nations peoples, including holding on to the remains of Indigenous ancestors.
鈥淚鈥檓 sorry, Charlie, but you can鈥檛 come here and think you can say a few nice words about our people while you still have stolen goods. You are in receipt of stolen goods, which makes you complicit in theft,鈥� she said.
also pressed on the endemic social disadvantage that Indigenous Australians continue to experience and that it was being papered over by platitudes that fail to address the systemic issues.
At the parliamentary reception, Charles spoke quietly with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese while security officials stopped Thorpe from approaching and ushered her from the hall.
Charles concluded his visit to Australia and traveled Wednesday to Samoa, where he will open .
The Associated Press
