Lidia Thorpe accused of stoking hate after posting selfie in Hamas-style headband

Controversial Victorian Senator Lidia Thorpe has been accused of inciting hate after posing in a green Hamas-style headband in a now-deleted social media post.

Controversial Victorian Senator Lidia Thorpe has been slammed for posing for a selfie wearing a Hamas-style headband, with Premier Jacinta Allan accusing the MP of “driving division”.

In a now deleted social media post shared on X, Ms Thorpe donned a green headband with white script that read “I love choccy milk” in Arabic, along with the caption: “I wholeheartedly support this message”.

The headwear, which shares a striking resemblance to the proscribed terrorist organisation’s insignia and headband worn by members, sparked outrage online after it was posted on Tuesday.

Ms Thorpe, who is known for her strong pro Palestinian stance and open criticism of the Australia government regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestine, has now been accused of inciting hate.

Lidia Thorpe wearing a green Hamas-style headband in a now deleted social media post. Picture: Supplied.

Ms Allan on Wednesday slammed Ms Thorpe for “driving division”, calling the selfie a “performative social media post”.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Senator in the Australian parliament, member of the Victorian parliament or a member of the Australian community, we should not and must not let conflict and division overseas drive conflict and hate here in this country,” she said.

“And we’ve seen in recent days in the United States where that goes too far.”

Lidia Thorpe wears a Palestinian scarf in parliament. Picture: Martin Oldman

Lidia Thorpe shouts at Victorian Climate Minister Lily D’Ambrosio after crashing the ALP state conference. Picture: Diego Fedele

Ms Thorpe told the Herald Sun on Wednesday that the selfie, and the headwear she was wearing, was supposed to be a “lighthearted post”.

“I was given this headband as a gift, it says ‘I love chocolate milk’ in Arabic,” Ms Thorpe said.

“I wasn’t aware of the association or resemblance between this headband and items worn by Hamas members.”

She said she did not intend to “upset” anyone and when she realised that people had drawn a connection between the headwear and Hamas, she quickly deleted the post.

“I didn’t mean to cause harm or distress, and I apologise to those who were upset by it,” she said.

“My advocacy around Palestine is about pushing for peace and an end to the violence we’re seeing every day.”

The ugly face of racism in this country

AJA CEO Robert Gregory:

"This is one of the most racist and ugly acts to come from a member of Australia's Parliament for some time.

By dressing in a mock Hamas-style headband, Lidia Thorpe is mocking the victims of murder and rape on… pic.twitter.com/88LX4drFdu

— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) July 16, 2024

Jewish community members were left outraged by the post, with Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler calling for Ms Thorpe’s censure from the senate and accused her of inciting hate.

“It defies belief that Lidia Thorpe, an elected Australian Senator, proudly posted a selfie wearing the infamous green headband,” Mr Leibler said.

He said members of Hamas are well documented in wearing similar green headbands during the October 7 attacks against Israel last year.

He believes Ms Thorpe “knew exactly what she was doing” when she shared the photo and this latest act was “ inexcusable” behaviour from an elected official.

“Why she would so willingly and obviously associate herself with Hamas should cause concern for every Australian, and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms: Senator Thorpe should be censured by the Senate.”