"I, Lydia Thorpe, solemnly and sincerely swear that I will be faithfully loyal to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II..."
According to a number of Australian media reported on the 2nd, a few days ago, Australian aboriginal Senator Lidia Thorpe (Lidia Thorpe) in this "provocative posture" in this "provocative posture" on the international headlines, because she called the Queen of England "colonial" Queen.
Although Thorpe was later asked to take the oath again, she said in an interview with Australian media afterwards that her motivation for doing so was to "tell the truth" and once again stressed that "the queen is a colonizer". Australia was proclaimed a state in 1901, but still has the Queen as head of state.
Screenshot of australian Aboriginal TELEVISION NITV report
According to The Australian Sky News station reported on August 2, on the 1st local time, the 48-year-old Thorpe was sworn in in the Senate of the Australian Parliament Building. She raised her right fist and walked to the table in the center of the conference hall and recited the vows written on the cards as was customary.
Under the Australian Constitution, all senators and deputies must swear allegiance to the Queen and her heirs and successors before entering Parliament. However, Thorpe revised the Oath of Allegiance during the recitation, inserting the word "colonization" before Queen Elizabeth's title: "I, Lydia Thorpe, solemnly and sincerely swear that I will be faithfully loyal to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II..."
This caused an uproar in the Senate, where her parliamentary colleagues could be heard expressing dissatisfaction with Thorpe, one of whom shouted that she "cannot be a senator" if Thorpe takes the oath incorrectly.
Subsequently, Senate President Sue Lines interjected, urging Thorpe to "recite the oath on the card." Thorpe "reluctantly" corrected his mistake and retook the oath, the report said.
Soon after, though, Thorpe retweeted a tweet saying she gave the Queen the "colonial" prefix when she took the oath, stating: "Sovereignty has never been relinquished." ”
For Thorpe's move, Thorpe's party, Adam Bandt, the leader of the Australian Greens, expressed support, and he retweeted the tweet that Thorpe retweeted, with the caption: "It has always been." Always. ”
Narelda Jacobs, an Aboriginal australian television host, also praised Thorpe as "strong". Jacobs said she admired Thorpe's behavior, where people could bring their beliefs and values to parliament, "When the queen doesn't represent you, who says you have to swear allegiance to the queen?" ”
Jacobs added that even if Thorpe re-swore the oath, she fully respected Thorpe's approach, "what she proves is that her sovereignty has not been relinquished by swearing allegiance to the Commonwealth." ”
But another Indigenous senator in Australia, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, criticized Thorpe as "immature". According to The Australian, Price said Thorpe "simply don't accept the job" if he doesn't want to take the oath. Price also said, "This kind of behavior is immature to some extent." If you want to be a protester, then this is not for you... We are here to become parliamentarians for the good of the country. I think it's just an act of sabotage. ”
According to the Australian News Network reported on the 1st, Senator Pauline Hanson, the leader of Australia's far-right "Single Nation Party", also slammed Thorpe for describing the Queen as a "colonizer", calling it "shocking hypocrisy". Hansen also satirized Thorpe that if she didn't like Parliament, she should stop receiving her annual salary of 211,250 Australian dollars .
In addition to causing a reaction within the Senate, according to Australian Aboriginal TELEVISION NITV reported on the 2nd, Thorpe's behavior has also attracted the attention of media around the world. CNN, CBS, The Washington Observer and People magazine all made headlines about the incident, focusing on Thorpe's use of the word "colonial." In addition, the British "Guardian", Reuters and the BBC also reported on the matter.
In the face of controversy, Thorpe said in an interview with Australian Aboriginal TELEVISION NITV that her motivation for this improvisation was "to tell the truth". "The Queen is a colonist," Thorpe stressed again. "It's a fact, that's the truth. There's nothing to be sad about... If people are hurt by the truth, then we need to keep talking about the truth so that we can get people on board and educate people. ”
Thorpe also talked about re-taking the oath to make her "not feel good" because it was against her beliefs. "It's basically like kneeling down to a colonist and saying I need to respect the power, the privileges and the stolen wealth she's got from my homeland."
According to Agence France-Presse reported on the 1st, Australia had been a British colony for more than 100 years, during which time thousands of Indigenous Australians were killed and displaced. Although Australia gained independence in 1901, it never became a fully fledged republic.
In 1999, Australians narrowly voted against the Queen's removal, although the debate was over whether the Queen's successor should be chosen by members of Parliament rather than the public.
Agence France-Presse also said polls showed a majority of Australians supported a republican form of government, but there was little agreement on how the head of state should be elected.
The issue was revived in this year's election, and after Labour leader Anthony Albanese was elected Prime Minister, he quickly appointed Matt Thistlethwaite as assistant minister for republican affairs.
After taking office, Hisovitt also expressed his position on the need for Australian MPs to swear allegiance to the Queen, and according to the Sydney Morning Herald reported on July 29, Hisovit said that it was absurd to ask Australian MPs to swear allegiance to the Queen, which showed why another republic referendum was needed. He also said MPs should commit to serving the Australian people who elected them, not to the British Royal Family.
This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer Network and may not be reproduced without authorization.