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Victoria Police press charges against woman for alleged assault of Lidia Thorpe

A 27-year-old woman has been charged for allegedly assaulting Senator Lidia Thorpe at the Melbourne Cricket Ground earlier in the year.

‘Ranting and raving’: Global media reports Lidia Thorpe shouting at King Charles

A woman has been charged with assaulting outspoken Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe at the MCG in May this year.

The 27-year-old woman allegedly assaulted the firebrand senator after the AFL Dreamtime match between Essendon and Richmond at the MCG on May 25, the Herald-Sun reported.

Victoria Police said in a statement a 27-year-old woman had been charged with two counts of recklessly cause injury and three counts of unlawful assault.

“Melbourne Crime Investigation Unit detectives have charged a woman following an alleged assault in East Melbourne on May 25,” a police spokeswoman told NewsWire.

“Investigators allege that a woman assaulted another woman outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground after an AFL match about 10.30pm.

Senator Lidia Thorpe yells at King Charles on Monday. Picture: NewsWire / Pool / Lukas Coch
Senator Lidia Thorpe yells at King Charles on Monday. Picture: NewsWire / Pool / Lukas Coch

“The incident was reported at Melbourne East Police Station on May 26.

“The woman sustained minor injuries during the incident.

“Police arrested a 27-year-old Preston woman in Preston on July 25.

“The woman was charged with two counts of recklessly cause injury and three counts of unlawful assault.”

The woman is on bail and will appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court on October 28.

Senator Thorpe revealed the alleged assault this week, saying it had caused her to take time off being in parliament for surgery.

She said she had a plate to be inserted in the back of her neck.

“I was ordered by the doctor not to travel and could not attend parliament. My doctor told me to take time off work,” she said.

“It’s unfortunate that I have been pushed to disclose this to defend myself, when I would have preferred to keep this private, but that’s just another day in the ­colony for you.”

The firebrand Indigenous independent made international headlines after she shouted at King Charles following his speech to at a parliamentary reception in the Great Hall in Canberra on Monday.

Lidia Thorpe unleashes on King Charles in Parliament’s Great Hall

Senator Thorpe screamed out “f**k the colony” and “you are not my King” just moments after the monarch had delivered an address praising Australia.

She also yelled out a demand for “treaty” and said “you stole our land” and “you are not our King”.

“Give us our land back that you f**king stole from us,” she screamed.

“Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people.

“You destroyed our land.”

The crossbench senator’s outburst sparked groans from some fellow attendees, though the King and Queen Camilla appeared calm throughout her outburst.

Senator Thorpe was swiftly evicted by security guards.

Originally published as Victoria Police press charges against woman for alleged assault of Lidia Thorpe

Original URL: https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/breaking-news/victoria-police-press-charges-against-woman-for-alleged-assault-of-lidia-thorpe/news-story/046f2c39ef7efa00448c4c92c0661c6b