Woman accused of attacking Australian senator who shouted at King

A woman has appeared in an Australian court accused of assaulting an Indigenous senator in May who shouted at King Charles during a royal reception last week.

The attack is alleged to have occurred on May 25 when independent Senator Lidia Thorpe was attending an Australian Rules football match in her hometown of Melbourne.

Ebony Bell, 28, appeared via video link in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court. He was charged with two counts of recklessly causing injury and three counts of unlawful attack on a stadium.

In the statement made by the police, it was stated that the injuries suffered by the 51-year-old senator due to the alleged attack were “light”.

But he told The Associated Press on Monday that he had “serious nerve and spinal cord injuries in my neck, requiring spinal surgery and plate insertion.”

The attack was reported to police the next day and Bell was arrested on 25 July.

The women knew each other, but the reason for the alleged attack was not disclosed in court.

Bell’s lawyer, Manny Nicolosi, told magistrate Belinda Franjic there were “real flaws” in the prosecution’s case. He said the prosecution made an “offer” on Friday, referring to a plea deal.

“I haven’t had enough time to really think about it,” Mr Nicolosi told the court.

Mr Nicolosi explained that his Indigenous client had not appeared in court in person due to “recent threats”. The lawyer did not provide detailed information about these threats.

Bell remains free on bail until he appears in court on November 22. The judge agreed to allow him to appear by video again.

Thorpe made her first public statement about the alleged attack after she made expletive-laden comments towards Charles during a reception at Australian Parliament House in Canberra last week.

“You are not our king. You are not the sovereign,” Mrs Thorpe shouted at Charles as he was led away by reception security guards.

“You committed genocide against our people. Give us back our lands. “Give us what you stole from us: our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people,” he added.

The main opposition party called for Ms Thorpe to resign from the Senate over her stance against Australia’s president, Charles, and sought legal advice.

Ms Thorpe is known for her high-profile protests.

When he was confirmed as a senator in 2022, he was not allowed to describe the then-monarch as “her colonial Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.” He briefly obstructed a police car at Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras last year by lying on the street in front of it.

Last year, she was also banned for life from a strip club in Melbourne after a video emerged of her shouting abuse at male customers.

He disclosed his injuries after The Australian newspaper reported that he had missed 16 of the Senate’s 44 sitting days this year.

“After the injury and during recovery from surgery, the doctor ordered me not to travel and I was unable to attend parliament. “My doctor told me to take time off from work,” he said.

“I would prefer to keep this matter private and will not be commenting further on it at this stage,” he added.