Susie O’Brien: Lidia Thorpe should resign after latest disgraceful outburst

Senator Lidia Thorpe reached an alarming new low by abusing and swearing at King Charles and Queen Camilla in the middle of a parliamentary reception.

Silly me. I thought Senator Lidia Thorpe’s lowest point was getting escorted away from a gentleman’s club for screaming obscenities at patrons at 3am one night last year.

Or telling a female Liberal senator “at least I keep my legs shut” in 2021.

Or disrupting the mardi gras by lying in the street.

But she’s just reached an alarming new low by abusing and swearing at King Charles and Queen Camilla in the middle of a parliamentary reception.

What an absolute disgrace and an embarrassment – particularly for Lidia herself.

Thorpe was escorted out after yelling: “You are not our king, you are not our sovereign” moments after King Charles gave an address at Parliament House in Canberra.

“Give us our land rights” and “give us what you stole from us. our babies, our people, you destroyed our land,” she then screeched.

“It’s not your land, you are not our king”.

As she left she yelled: “f*** the colony”.

She had already disrespected the king and queen by turning her back when God Save the King was played.

A few hours earlier, Ms Thorpe had already shown her form by protesting the royal visit at the Australian War Memorial. Bizarre footage shows her tussling with a female police officer before removing her T-shirt.

The irony is that this woman, who no doubt made our elderly visitors feel afraid for their safety, was talking in parliament this week about feeling “culturally unsafe”.

The king and queen no doubt thought the official reception in Canberra had been crashed by a protester, not realising that this irate, rude individual is a handsomely paid elected representative.

Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe disrupts proceedings as King Charles and Queen Camilla attend a Parliamentary reception at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Lukas Coch

Yet again, Thorpe’s actions show she does not deserve to enjoy the privilege and status of parliamentary office. She certainly does not deserve the honour of being paid at least $217,000 a year for the next three years

This ugly spat shows once again that Ms Thorpe feels entitled to use her race to accuse others of racism and to justify her appalling behaviour.

Her abusive brand of Black activism is enraging, not engaging, and she’s doing those she purports to represent a grave disservice.

She has already said she won’t run again when her term expires, so why won’t she do the right thing and resign now?

Originally published as Susie O’Brien: Lidia Thorpe should resign after latest disgraceful outburst