An Australian senator nominated Queen Elizabeth during the swearing-in – called in his colonialism

Australian Indigenous Representative and Senator Lydia Thorpe48, surprised the local senate when he was sworn in.

A video circulating online shows Thorpe taking the oath of office with his fist in the air. The oath includes an official part where senators must swear their loyalty to Queen Elizabeth, under whose rule Australia still falls.

Thorpe wanted to take a stand on the political situation in question because of his indigenous background. He marched before the Senate with his right hand in the air and balled it into a fist as he took his official oath.

However, the senator surprised the other members of the senate by naming the queen as a colonialist person in the middle of the oath.

– I, Lidia Thorpe, do solemnly declare that I am loyal and swear allegiance to the conqueror of the colonies to her majesty, Queen Elizabeth, Thorpe said.

He didn’t get any further in his oath when Thorpe’s oath was interrupted by Senate Speaker Sue Lines. The members of the Senate did not accept Thorpe’s words, but opposed his oath.

– You’re not a senator if you don’t take the oath properly, one of the senators commented.

– You should have respect, Thorpe answered as he turned to the senator in question.

After the scene, Lines asked the senator to take his oath again and properly. Thorpe read it again according to the instruction card, though he left his fist up. After the situation, he commented on the situation on Twitter.

– The right to self-determination was never surrendered, he wrote.

Australia was a British colony for over 100 years when it was turned into a penal colony. With Britain’s “no man’s land” declaration, the natives were displaced from the territories and also killed on the way to the settlers.

In 1901, the country became its own nation, whose head is still Queen Elizabeth. Because of his Aboriginal history, Thorpe refused to take his oath according to the official formula.

– The continuing legacy of colonialism has not yet fully recognized the right of First Nations to self-determination across the Australian continent. This wrong must be corrected. General racism, oppressive laws and policies, misunderstandings, ignorance and a lack of knowledge and education have meant that, from generation to generation, indigenous peoples have been subjected to policies and legislation that have impoverished the lives of many, Thorpe’s party website reads.

In recent years, several countries under the queen’s rule have expressed their desire to become independent.

Britain’s younger royals have taken part in the independence debates. For example, Prince William and Duchess Catherine traveled to the Caribbean in March to see protests against colonialism.

– The purpose of our trip was to observe and we learned so much. Not only did we learn about the problems that affect people the most, but we also understood how much the past still affects the present day, the prince commented on their trip in June.

Source: People