The King has been confronted by indigenous Australian activists the day after he was accused of “genocide” by a senator in the Australian parliament.
The monarch met elders during a visit to the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) in Sydney and one told him their goal was “sovereignty”.
Charles faced heckles of “you are not our King” from senator Lidia Thorpe after his address to the Australian parliament on Monday.
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Ms Thorpe accused the King of “genocide” against Australia’s First Nations, shouting: “This is not your land. You are not my King.”
Ms Thorpe, who wore a possum skin coat and carried a traditional message stick, added: “Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us. Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land.”
Greeting Charles in Sydney, Elder Allan Murray from the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council appeared to reference Senator Thorpe’s remarks.
“Welcome to country. We’ve got stories to tell, and I think you witnessed that story yesterday in Canberra, but the story is unwavering and we’ve got a long way to achieve what we want to achieve and that’s our own sovereignty,” he said. “But welcome to Gadigal land.”
The King wafted cleansing smoke over himself at an outdoor fire pit at a traditional smoking ceremony with members of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.
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The King also saw a dance performance from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in a nearby sports hall.
“That looked like a good exercise,” he told the dancers afterwards. “I don’t think I can still do it at my age.”
The visit to the centre came as a statue of Queen Victoria was daubed with red paint in Sydney.
‘The Union Jack was put on our land without our consent’
Charles later spoke privately with several First Nations elders, indigenous rangers of the Gamay region and members of the Inner City Empowered Communities Group.
After the visit Mr Murray said: “We always long for a return of our sovereignty. We are a sovereign people, we have never signed a formal agreement or treaty.
“The Union Jack was put on our land without our consent. We’ve been ignored. We can’t rest on our laurels.”
Asked if he blames the King, Mr Murray replied: “It was his family that goes back to 1770. We’ve sent to the Kings and Queens asking to be recognised but have been ignored since 1770.
“I think he listened to what I said.”
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Speaking about a divisive referendum last year that saw Australians overwhelmingly reject a plan to give greater political rights to indigenous people, he added: “The King’s visit to Australia is a year after the failed referendum.
“There’s ill feeling in the community and our people are being violated, discriminated and displaced.”
