Featured Image Credit: Martin Ollman/Getty Images. Mlenny/Getty Images
Topics: News, World News, Australia, Politics
Charisa Bossinakis
Topics: News, World News, Australia, Politics
Lidia Thorpe wears a Palestinian scarf into Parliament, comparing Australia to Israel, calling them the ‘occupiers of the land’.
The senator pleaded for the Australian Government to support the Middle Eastern country as she fashioned a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf.
The former Greens member-turned-independent senator said that Palestinians 'live with generational trauma of dispossession’ and continue to fight for sovereignty, liberation, and land back’ just like the Indigenous people of Australia.
“You have the responsibility to support Palestinians standing against it, just as you have the responsibility to support First Nations people here standing against it,” she said.
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“I'm not surprised the Australian government, which is itself the illegal occupier of these lands, condones illegal occupation of other lands, and sides with an oppressive regime.”
She added that governments worldwide have allowed Israel to ‘apartheid’ and ‘ethnic cleansing’ in response to Hamas’ attack.
Ms Thorpe said that while she condemns the killings by the terrorist organization, the international debate had become 'extremely one sided’.
She then pointed out the Sydney Opera House sporting blue and white colors in solidarity with Israel.
“Israel's indiscriminate bombings on Gaza are killing thousands of innocent people, people who already had to suffer for so many decades in what is often called the world's biggest prison,” Ms Thorpe continued.
“These people didn't attack Israel, and yet they are the human collateral of Israel fighting back against Hamas with unprecedented force.
“They will be the ones suffering the long term consequences which will more than likely be the continued and possibly reinforced oppression of the Palestine people through Israel.”
She added that most Palestinians want nothing but ‘live peacefully’; however, Israel continues to seize land and property illegally.
“The state of Israel was founded on Palestinian land in 1948, when tens of thousands of Palestinans sought refuge in Gaza as their towns and villages were ethnically cleansed,” Ms Thorpe added.
“Palestinian voices have all but been silenced over what happened.”
Ms Thorpe’s speech comes after she shared a picture of what appeared to be the Israeli takeover of Palestinian land since 1946 on October 8.
“I stand with Palestine,” she captioned the post on X.
“Unprovoked they said.”
However, the post was immediately met with swift backlash, as one person wrote: “You’re an embarrassment to this country @SenatorThorpe. Just resign and go peddle your hate somewhere else.”
While another said: “You are a disgrace for a Victoria government! How can you stand on the side of the terror, killing civilians, hate and crime? It says a lot about you personally!”