Senator Lidia Thorpe's rude gesture to King Charles III on London trip
Senator Lidia Thorpe has sparked controversy after sharing photos of herself standing outside Buckingham Palace making a rude gesture.
The independent senator, who made international headlines after gatecrashing an event during King Charles III's visit to Australia and yelling 'you are not my king', was in London this week to attend a conference.
During her trip she donned a 'blak sovereign movement' shirt and was pictured outside the gates of Buckingham Palace holding an Aboriginal flag, making a rude gesture with her middle finger and standing with her hands on her hips.
She shared the three images to social media with the caption: 'Dropped by to collect all the stuff this lot stole, but Charlie wasn't in.'
The post sparked division among her followers.
On Instagram, the reception was largely positive, with multiple users calling Senator Thorpe 'the only Queen I'll recognise' or 'our Queen'.
'This made my day,' one follower wrote, while another said it was 'great to see you delivering your middle finger for his bday in person!'
The King's birthday was celebrated on June 14 in the UK.
On Facebook, where comments on the post were blocked, others shared the post with less enthusiastic commentary.
'What a shock she did not get an invite into the palace,' one user wrote.
'What a bloody embarrassment,' another said.
While the Senator's actions sparked debate online, they were less disruptive than her shock protest during the King's visit to Australia last year.
The Indigenous MP sparked international outrage after screaming out 'f**k the colony' in the Great Hall at Parliament House in Canberra shortly after the King had given a speech praising Australia.
'You are not our king. You are not sovereign,' she yelled at the monarch,
'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. F. k the colony, f. k the colony, f. k the colony.'
She was evicted by security guards who had been watching her throughout the proceedings, continuing to yell as she was removed from the room.
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