King Charles (75) is head of state of Australia and is visiting the Commonwealth country for the 17th time – but for the first time as king. He and Camilla (77) arrived “Down Under” on Friday. The official program only began on Sunday with a church service in Sydney, and yesterday the couple traveled to the capital Canberra. There was a warm welcome there – and then a scandal. During a speech by the king in parliament, indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe clearly expressed her anger at the regent. “You are not my king, you are not our king!” the politician shouted into the hall. Before she was taken away by security guards, she demanded: “Give us back our land, give back what you have stolen from our people!”
“Not my king, not our king!”
There were always reservations about the monarchy. In addition to Republicans, indigenous people are also protesting against the royal family. They hold the Crown partly responsible for colonial crimes in Australia. In 1999, Australians narrowly voted against secession from the British crown; How things would turn out now remains questionable. Charles has mentioned several times in the past that this decision rests entirely with the Australian people. It is free to decide whether to remove him or not. Despite the protests, many others were happy to see the royals. Throughout the day, people lined up to get a glimpse of the monarch.
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Image: APA/DAVID GRAY
Source: Nachrichten
