Reign storm

Indigenous politician accuses King of genocide as royals visit Oz parliament

- RUSSELL MYERS

THE King has vowed to "continue undeterred" on his trip Down Under after being heckled by an Aboriginal Australian politician who accused the Royal Family of genocide.

Charles had just paid tribute to the "timeless wisdom of indigenous people" when an independent senator shouted at him and the Queen inside Parliament House in capital city Canberra.

In an awkward moment,Lidia Thorpe, wearing indigenous dress and waving a piece of paper, approached the stage in front of dumbfounded MPs and guests, shouting: "You are not my king."

As security scrambled to remove her, she yelled at him: "You committed genocide against our people.

"Give us our land back, give us back what you stole from us. Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our lands, give us a treaty, we want a treaty in the country, you are a genocidalist."

The ugly scenes were condemned from across the political spectrum.

Aussie Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a known republican, said: "The actions of the independent senator in the Great Hall were disrespectful. This is not the standard of behaviour Australians rightly expect of parliamentarians."

Charles and Camilla have faced lower-key demonstrations during their tour of Australia from other First Nations activists, with protesters displaying a banner saying "decolonise" at a number of events.