Indigenous people around the world have sent King Charles a letter. They want an apology, and reparations

With the new monarch's coronation fast approaching, Commonwealth Indigenous leaders are demanding the king acknowledge colonial genocides and return stolen artefacts.

LIDIA THORPE SENATE SWEARING IN

Senator Lidia Thorpe is among the signatories demanding an acknowledgement from the monarch of the horrors of colonisation. Source: AAP / LUKAS COCH/AAPIMAGE

Lidia Thorpe is among the famous faces demanding King Charles III apologise to First Nations people and compensate them for the disastrous effects of colonisation.

A letter with signatories from 12 countries historically subjected to colonial rule also calls on the new monarch to acknowledge the genocides sparked by his empire's invasions of those territories.

Members of the royal family have expressed regret in recent months for their historical links to the slave trade; the letter calls on the monarch to 'substantiate' the statements.

"The so-called king needs to be held accountable," Senator Thorpe told NITV.

"We need him, as part of his coronation and as part of the legacy of his ancestors who did so much damage, to say sorry."
The DjabWurrung Gunnai Gunditjmara woman said the letter is the result of an extensive consultation amongst First Nations people from Commonwealth nations.

"Basically, we're all experiencing the effects of colonisation and the attempted genocide of our people. We're still picking up the pieces. And there's a lot of stolen wealth... that the royal family is responsible for.

"They are in receipt of stolen goods."

The letter's statement outlines five 'practical steps' the 74-year-old king can take to begin atoning for the horrors of colonisation: an apology; recognition of genocide; reparations for stolen wealth; repatriating sacred artefacts and bodily remains still held in British museums; and renouncing the ‘Doctrine of Discovery’.

The doctrine of discovery is related to the concept of terra nullius, the false pretext used by Britain to legally colonise Aboriginal lands.

While Ms Thorpe said such actions would help bring healing to Indigenous peoples, it was incumbent upon the new monarch to wholehearted adopt them.

"We've been quite conciliatory, even though we're the ones under duress and harm... He needs to heed those calls."

People from Antigua and Barbuda, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are all signatories to the letter.

Pledge of allegiance 'an absolute insult'

Saturday's coronation has already caused upset with the Archbishop of Canterbury's invitation for Commonwealth subjects to pledge allegiance to the king during the ceremony.

Ms Thorpe said the call, which includes First Nations people, was "an absolute insult".

"What are we swearing allegiance to? The genocide that they committed? Or the stolen wealth that they created for themselves at gunpoint?"

Instead, Ms Thorpe said she will be holding a 'Sovereign Tea Party' in Melbourne's Carlton Gardens.

"We will be denouncing any call of allegiance to any foreign country but our own," she said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is currently in London and will attend the coronation, told controversial personality Piers Morgan that he would be making the pledge himself on behalf of the country.

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3 min read
Published 4 May 2023 12:06pm
By Dan Butler
Source: NITV


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