It took a long time, but finally someone has stood up to Lidia Thorpe. Last Thursday the independent senator and Indigenous woman attempted to shirt-front British biological women’s rights activist Kellie-Jay Keen as the latter spoke at a rally outside Parliament House in Canberra. It ended ignominiously for her following prompt intervention by the Australian Federal Police.
You could argue it was a case of the plonker being plonked. But asked about the incident, Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney was seemingly of the opinion that Thorpe was not responsible for her own actions. The footage of this barney, she said, was “disturbing” and “concerning”.
“My concern is for Lidia,” she said, saying it was “absolutely appropriate” that the matter had been referred to AFP Professional Standards for review. “I hope she’s getting the support that she should get.”
I too was distressed by the AFP’s actions. When positioning himself in Thorpe’s path, the officer did not acknowledge his white privilege or that he was on stolen land. Not so much as an ‘Always was, always will be’. Nor did he concede that sovereignty had never been ceded. This was no way to treat the self-appointed amplifier of the so-called Black Sovereign Movement, who ended up on the ground.
Refusing attempts by police to help her to feet, she theatrically crawled away on her knees. “I’ve got pulverised by the police,” she angrily shouted, claiming they had “assaulted” her. Words alone cannot convey Thorpe’s terrible treatment at the hands of federal law enforcers. So distressed was she that her hair was out of place and her makeup running in the rain. She may even have to shell out for a dry cleaner.
As to how Thorpe lost her footing in the melee, the footage is not conclusive. One thing for sure is that her traditional Gunnai Gunditjmara designer high heels were not the most appropriate footwear for a tussle on wet grass, but of course mentioning that fact goes against the narrative of brutal colonialist repression.
The day after the incident, ABC News Daily host Samantha Hawley told listeners it was a case of “Thorpe being thrown to the ground by police”. And naturally an interaction between a white male police officer and an Indigenous activist had to be analysed through the prism of – yes, you guessed it. “Do you think if she’d been – I’ve seen this commented on – if she’d been a white male senator she would have been treated differently,” RN Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas asked Burney.
To reiterate, police at the rally concerned had ensured that attendees and counter protesters were separated. This is standard planning. But instead of respecting that boundary, Thorpe sought a confrontation. Giving no warning to police or security officers, she made a beeline for Keen while yelling aggressively. They had no choice but to intervene. To suggest that Thorpe was treated differently because of her race is irresponsible, and it is a cop-out for Karvelas to mention it because others had raised it. Plenty of others had commented that Thorpe’s behaviour was belligerent, moronic, and self-serving, but conveniently Karvelas did not put that to Burney.
It was, according to ABC Drum co-host Ellen Fanning, a case of Thorpe “being pulled to the ground by police officers while she was protesting against an anti-trans rally”. And then a token attempt at objectivity, which was immediately belied by her next comment. “I don’t particularly want to talk about that because it will be reviewed,” said Fanning, “but it’s a feeling about what can happen …. to Aboriginal people in this country”. What?
For good measure, panellist and University of Sydney Indigenous lawyer in residence Teela Reid told Fanning it was an example of “the violence black women still endure in this country”. By all means talk about the violence Indigenous women face, Ms Reid. I’m just perplexed that when Opposition Leader Peter Dutton raised it last month, you tweeted he “needs to keep ‘Aboriginal women and children’ out of his filthy mouth”.
#PeterDutton needs to keep “Aboriginal women and children†out of his filthy mouth.
— Teela Reid 🧜ðŸ¾â€â™€ï¸ (@teelareid) February 9, 2023
Far from being the victim of violence, Thorpe has used her senate platform to vaunt her privilege, while at the same time behaving in a manner ranging from puerile to despicable. She has allegedly bullied an Indigenous elder, cheered on an alleged arson of Old Parliament House, and impeded the Sydney Mardi Gras parade to berate and stand over police officers. Last year she told Liberal senator Hollie Hughes: “At least I keep my legs shut,” the remark believed to be a reference to the latter’s autistic son.
And yet Thorpe’s narcissistic effrontery is such she portrays herself as the target of a vicious and racist campaign by the coloniser to bring her down. It gives her immunity to continue with her disparaging, defamatory and bullying behaviour. Her Labor and Greens colleagues condone this by their silence. But when one AFP officer dares to lay a hand on Princess Lidia, Burney and Co demand action.
So terrible is this incident that Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, who labelled the footage of Thorpe “concerning”, has immediately acted. “I have sought urgent advice from the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police,” he said.
Spare a thought for AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw, who has far more important things to do than indulge this political posturing. His response to Dreyfus should be short and to the point. “Police have the power to detain a person should they reasonably apprehend that he or she is about to cause a breach of the peace,” he should write. “I believe first-year law students are taught this as a matter of course.”
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