Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe has ignited fresh controversy by posting photographs of herself making an offensive gesture with her middle finger outside Buckingham Palace whilst holding an Aboriginal flag.
The images, shared on social media, were accompanied by the caption: “Dropped by to collect all the stuff this lot stole, but Charlie wasn’t in.”
The senator was reportedly in the UK to attend a conference when she visited the King’s official residence.
This latest incident follows her high-profile protest during King Charles’s visit to Australia last year, when she disrupted proceedings at Parliament House in Canberra.
King Charles heckler makes rude gesture outside Buckingham Palace in fresh dig at monarch.
Instagram / Lidia Thorpe
During the King’s visit to Australia last year, Thorpe made international headlines by shouting “You are not my king” in the Great Hall at Parliament House.
She confronted Charles and Camilla directly, declaring: “You are not our king. You are not sovereign. You 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. You destroyed our land. Give us a Treaty. We want a Treaty in this country. You are a genocidalist. This is not your land. This is not your land. You are not my king. You are not our king…”
Security guards removed her from the room as she continued shouting “f**k the colony”.
The Instagram post attracted sharp criticism from social media users.
Lidia Thorpe previously heckled King Charles during his Australian tour.
Instagram / Lidia Thorpe
One wrote: “Do you know you don’t speak for Australia. We actually can’t stand you, I personally look forward to your term ending in the Senate!”
Another questioned: “Are also going to claim this trip as a work related expense from the colonial government that pays your salary? Typical ongoing hypocrisy!”
A third user commented: “Getting your point across is one thing but being disrespectful and rude is another…”
The photographs were uploaded to Instagram, where they generated significant backlash from users who challenged both her methods and representation of Australian views.
Lidia Thorpe screaming at the King inside the Australian Senate.
Getty
Lidia Thorpe being sworn in back in 2020.
Getty
Thorpe has served as an independent Senator for Victoria since 2020, becoming the first Aboriginal Senator from the state.
She was previously a member of the Australian Greens until February 2023, having served as the party’s Deputy Leader in the Senate from June to October 2022.
The Indigenous MP’s activism has consistently focused on sovereignty and treaty rights for Aboriginal Australians.
Her confrontational approach has drawn both support and criticism, with her protests against the monarchy representing part of her broader campaign for recognition of Indigenous rights and the return of cultural artefacts and remains held in British institutions.