In a historic and emotionally charged moment, Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe boldly confronted the British monarch, voicing the grievances of Indigenous Australians and demanding recognition for centuries of colonial injustices. Thorpe’s powerful declaration, ‘You destroyed our land,’ resonated with communities long seeking acknowledgement and restitution.

An Indigenous senator has interrupted a reception for British monarch King Charles III during his first visit since taking the throne, calling for a treaty between the Australian government and First Nations peoples.

At an event held to welcome the king to Australia at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday, Senator Lidia Thorpe shouted to the British monarch that he was not her king and he should “give us our land back.”

“Give us what you stole from us,” Thorpe said, before being quickly escorted out of the room by security. “You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want treaty.”

King Charles is on his first trip to Australia since being crowned in 2023. While Australia is governed separately from the British throne, the king remains its head of state. A national vote in 1999 on whether to become republic was defeated comprehensively.

The king was seated on a podium during Thorpe’s protest, and talked quietly to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Thorpe is a vocal advocate for Indigenous Australian rights, often protesting at events or on the floor of the Senate.

She was previously a senator for the left-wing Greens Party but quit the group in 2023 over their support for an Indigenous advisory group to Parliament—a body which Thorpe opposed.

Her outburst came after the King spoke to politicians and dignitaries at Parliament House in Canberra.

An indigenous leader who welcomed the royals to Australia’s capital on Monday also called on him to apologise for colonial wrongs.

Aunty Serena Williams from the Ngunnawal people performed a “Welcome to Country” and a smoking ceremony.

She said: “We all have roles and responsibilities, and I have roles and responsibilities to my people. And I think an apology would be beautiful.”

When asked if that meant the King himself should say sorry, she replied: “Yes. Because we have to acknowledge our past.”

During his address in parliament, the King referenced the ceremony by Aunty Serena Williams.

He said he “deeply” appreciated the gesture, which he said offered the chance to “pay my respects to the traditional owners of the land on which we meet”.

“In my many visits to Australia I witnessed the courage and hope that have guided the nation’s long and sometimes difficult journey towards reconciliation,” the King said.

However, he stopped short of the apology indigenous leaders had hoped to hear.