King Charles’ visit to the Pacific for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, including his precursor visit to Australia, has stirred considerable controversy this week, with Australian first nations senator Lidia Thorpe heckling him and members of the public staging protests.

The politician was escorted from Parliament House after shouting at the king, saying, “Give us our land back” and Australia is “not your land”.

“Give us what you stole from us. Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land... Give us a treaty, we want a treaty in this country. It’s not your land, you’re not my king, you’re not our king.”

Thorpe told TVNZ’s Breakfast her outburst came in response to the tensions surrounding indigenous rights and sovereignty in Australia, and believed it was an opportunity for reflection.

“I have more international solidarity than I do in this country. But I also have many elders and Aboriginal communities reaching out saying ,‘Thank you sister, thank you, it’s what we’ve been saying for decades.’”

She said her hope was that people took a moment to reflect on what she said, rather than how it was said.

“I know people are upset, because it makes people uncomfortable. Truth-telling makes people uncomfortable.

“I didn’t steal anything from anybody else, and I was sending a message to somebody who has inherited all the stolen wealth from indigenous people from around the globe.”

Protests against King Charles

Thorpe‘s remarks took hold across Australia amid the British monarch’s arrival.

A statue of Queen Victoria in Sydney’s CBD had red paint splashed over it as protests disrupted King Charles’ meeting with key Aboriginal community leaders.

Chants, such as“You’re on stolen land” and “No pride in genocide” could be heard during the engagement.

About a dozen protesters gathered at the Sydney Opera House, shouting “Not our king”, as well as “Always was, always will be”, a historically iconic rallying cry of the Aboriginal land rights movement in Australia.

First Nations activist Paula Silva said the pain inflicted upon First Nations people by the British monarchy was still felt to this day. “I attended the Sydney Opera House to demand the land be returned to First Nations people. It’s important to me as a young First Nations man to stand up for our ancestors and stand up for what’s right.”

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tour

It’s far from the first time members of the Royal Family have seen protests. upon arrival.

The then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (now Prince and Princess of Wales) were met with mixed reactions from countries across the Caribbean two years ago, as they toured the region on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Guardian reported their arrival in Belize was met with protests from villagers over a land dispute.

In Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Michael Holness informed the couple that the country intended to become a republic.

A government committee in the Bahamas urged the royals to issue “a full and formal apology for their crimes against humanity”.

Additional reporting by NITV.