An Aboriginal protester was arrested at the Sydney Opera House as crowds waited to see the King and Queen on the final day of their Australian tour.
A large crowd gathered in the harbor forecourt, where the royal couple will visit on Tuesday afternoon.
Wayne Wharton, a prominent Indigenous activist from Brisbane, was arrested after chanting anti-monarchy slogans and refusing police orders to move.
It comes as backlash over an Aboriginal senator’s criticism of King Charles in Canberra on Monday grows, with politicians and some Indigenous leaders condemning Lidia Thorpe’s behavior .
Mr. Wharton shouted “he is not my King”, echoing Thorpe’s words from the day before.
The crowd waiting for the royals – many holding small union flags – shouted back “God save the king”.
Mr Wharton also protested outside the church service the royal family attended on Sunday.
When the Kooma man was arrested and placed in a police van on Tuesday, the gathered crowd applauded the officers.
Many of the hundreds of people there had been queuing since early Tuesday, some flying British flags. Others have accessorized with royal-themed jewelry and handbags.
“We wanted to honor our country and all of its people,” said Karen Clark, accompanied by her young sons Benjamin and Harrison, both wearing crowns and faux-fur-trimmed capes.
“We were brought up with the King, we celebrated the King’s birthday with the boys – it was fun to drink high tea and wear our best outfits.”
Bettina Bethuel, who arrived with her friend Taja Shephard, said: “My father is from Liverpool and I have always been interested in the Royals.
Taja had seen Thorpe disparage him on TV and was unimpressed.
“I thought it was a bit rude but I thought she was giving her perspective on Indigenous people,” she said. “But I don’t think the way she acted like that was appropriate.”
The independent senator’s protest was praised as brave by some Indigenous activists, but condemned as “shameful” and disrespectful by other prominent Indigenous Australians.
It has also been heavily criticized by her congressional colleagues.
Nellie Pollard-Wharton, who was with her father when he was arrested, said it was “funny” to see the crowd “cheer as he was put on the grain cart.” [police van] for standing up to protect your rights.”
“Basically, from what many Australians tell us, it’s like ‘get over it’ – it’s been long enough,” she told the BBC.
“[But we] it is necessary to continue fighting so that we can reach treaties, so that we can have the right to be heard, so that our young people and our detained men and women stop dying, so that our health conditions improve…so that we can truly make our own decisions.”
On the other side of the city, King Charles began Tuesday with a visit to the National Center for Indigenous Excellence in Redfern, where he met with Aboriginal elders.
He then attended a community picnic in Parramatta, where the suit-wearing king tried cooking sausages on a grill before meeting a sheepdog.
