CANBERRA, Australia (AP) 鈥 Australian senators on Monday voted to censure an Indigenous colleague who yelled at King Charles III during a reception in Parliament House last month.
The censure of independent Sen. is a symbolic gesture that records her colleagues鈥 disapproval of her conduct during the by a British monarch in 13 years.
The motion was carried 46 votes to 12.
Government leader in the Senate Penny Wong said ThorpeB次元官网网址 outburst sought to 鈥渋ncite outrage and grievance.鈥
鈥淭his is part of a trend that we do see internationally which, quite frankly, we do not need here in Australia,鈥 Wong told the Senate.
Thorpe launched an expletive-laden rant at Charles following his speech during his visit to Canberra and Sydney.
鈥淵ou are not our king. You are not sovereign,鈥 Thorpe yelled at Charles as she was led by security guards from the reception.
鈥淵ou committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us: our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people,鈥 she added.
Following her censure, Thorpe said she would repeat her rant if Charles returned.
鈥淚f the colonizing king were to come to my country again, our country, then I鈥檒l do it again,鈥 Thorpe told reporters.
鈥淎nd I will keep doing it. I will resist colonization in this country. I swear my allegiance to the real sovereigns of these lands; First Peoples are the real sovereigns. You don鈥檛 have some random king rock up and say heB次元官网网址 sovereign,鈥 she added.
Sen. Mehreen Faruqi, a member of the minor Greens party, opposed the censure motion.
鈥淭he bubble of white privilege that encapsulates this parliament is a systemic issue,鈥 Faruqi said. 鈥淭hatB次元官网网址 why we are here today, debating a Black senator being censured for telling the truth of the British crownB次元官网网址 genocide on First Nations people and telling it the way she wants to."
The vote took place before Thorpe arrived on a flight from Melbourne. Thorpe said she had wanted to be in Parliament for the vote but government senators refused to wait.
Indigenous people account for fewer than 4% of Australia's population and are the nation's most disadvantaged ethnic group.
