Crowds flock to see King Charles at Sydney Opera House – ThePrint – ReutersFeed

By Kirsty Needham
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Britain’s King Charles was hugged by an indigenous elder after a smoking welcome ceremony at the birthplace of Australia’s urban Aboriginal civil rights movement in Sydney on Tuesday, a day after he was questioned by an indigenous senator in Canberra.

Charles met Indigenous elders at the National Indigenous Center of Excellence in Redfern town centre, where he was embraced by Elder Michael Welsh, and a woman introduced herself as a member of the Stolen Generation, a reference to Aboriginal children systematically removed from their families for decades. before “Welcome to this country,” he said.

The fallout from Thorpe’s outburst has been mixed, with some calling it brave and others disagreeing with his approach to reconciliation. But it has put a new spotlight on Australia’s colonial history and its relationship with indigenous peoples.

An indigenous activist was arrested by police when he refused to comply with orders to leave the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday afternoon, where the monarch arrived later in the day.

In a statement, police said he was acting in an “abusive and threatening manner”.

Although the atmosphere in Redfern on Tuesday was respectful, some people who came to see the king expressed sympathy for Thorpe’s actions.

“We have stories to tell and I think you witnessed that story yesterday,” said Allan Murray, chair of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Lands Council.

In a radio interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday, Thorpe said he “wanted the world to know the plight of our people”.

Former Olympic athlete Nova Peris, who was the first Indigenous woman elected to federal parliament, wrote in a social media post that she was “deeply disappointed” by Thorpe’s actions, which “do not reflect the manners, nor the ‘approach to reconciliation, from Aboriginal Australians at large’.

Emotions around indigenous rights and Australia’s colonial history are raw after a national referendum on whether to alter Australia’s constitution to recognize Aboriginal people was rejected last year.

Charles referred to Australia’s “long and sometimes difficult journey towards reconciliation” in a speech on Monday before being questioned by Thorpe.

The King later visited a social housing project designed with the support of his charity King’s Trust Australia in the inner suburb of Glebe. He toured the construction site with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who grew up on a public housing estate.

GREAT EXPANSION TO THE OPERA

Charles and Queen Camilla are visiting Sydney and Canberra for six days before traveling to the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Samoa.

Charles also met renowned melanoma researcher and brain cancer patient Richard Scolyer on Tuesday, one of the last public appearances he is making on his first major overseas trip since being diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer.

A large crowd welcomed the royal couple in the courtyard of the Sydney Opera House, including Marion Hesket, 75, who had been there to see Charles and Diana in 1983.

“I would not miss this opportunity to see him again. I love it, it does a lot of good,” she said.

“I think he and Camilla make a wonderful couple. He was my prince when I was growing up,” said Lucille Taylor, 83.

Charles walked slowly through the crowd to stop to speak to well-wishers, with Camilla leading the way, before the royal couple stopped to watch a dance performance by school children.

Australian Jim Frecklington, who worked for Queen Elizabeth for five decades and is designing the first new royal carriage in 200 years, was among those who shook hands with Charles.

He had been at the opening of the Sydney Opera House with Queen Elizabeth in 1973.

“The royal tour has gone exceptionally well,” he said.

“Australians have been very excited about King Charles and also about Queen Camilla.”

The royal couple later inspected the naval fleet in Sydney Harbour.

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Editing by Stephen Coates and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Disclaimer: This report is automatically generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint is not responsible for its content.