INDONESIAN EYE, SYDNEY – Newly elected Australian Native MP, Lidia Thorpe takes her oath by raising her fists above her head. It was an act of protest and he also referred to Queen Elizabeth as the “queen of colonizers”.
He said that it was like kneeling to a murderer when he had to swear an oath as a new member of the paelemen. Because, the oath is a form of loyalty. Meanwhile, according to him, Queen Elizabeth is a form of colonial power that has caused a lot of harm to the people.
Queen Elizabeth’s death has caused First Nations people from Canada to Australia and former colonies in the Caribbean to speak out about the pain that has befallen them.
Some of them also called for abolishing the monarchy as head of state in some countries.
King Charles’ accession comes amid rising anti-colonialism stemming from a growing awareness of historical atrocities.
“There is a growing popular awareness around injustice around the world what is being done in the name of one’s own nation for the exploitation of indigenous peoples,” said Veldron Coburn, a professor of Anishinaabe Indigenousness at the University of Ottawa, Canada.
Calls are rising in Caribbean countries for reparations payments and an apology for slavery. Meanwhile in Canada, leaders want the monarchy to act on historical injustices.
Thrope in this case compares the government’s decision to hold a day of mourning for the queen with historical disregard for indigenous Australians.
“This is just a nail in the coffin in terms of how we feel and how we are treated as First Nation people, it’s like we never existed,” said Thrope.
Demographic changes in the Commonwealth of Nations, and allegations of racism within the royal family following Harry and Meghan’s departure, have raised more questions about the need for a distant monarch as head of state.
