Some Indigenous leaders have criticized an Australian senator’s harassment of King Charles as she faces a backlash over a violent image of the monarch briefly posted on her social media account.

Lidia Thorpe, an Aboriginal woman, made global headlines when she shouted “you are not my king” and “this is not your country” before she was led away from a royal event in Canberra on Monday.

The independent senator’s protest has been praised as courageous by some activists, but condemned as ‘shameful’ and disrespectful by other prominent Aboriginal Australians.

Thorpe has defended her actions at the event, but said a cartoon later posted to her Instagram account was inappropriate.

The drawing – which depicts the king beheaded next to his crown – was shared by a staff member without her knowledge, the senator said.

“I deleted it as soon as I saw it. I would not intentionally share anything that could be seen as encouraging violence against anyone.”

The image, which has sparked widespread condemnation, adds to the intense investigation into her actions on Monday.

Aunt Violet Sheridan, an Aboriginal elder who formally welcomed King and Queen Camilla to Ngunnawal country, told the Guardian Australia: “Lidia Thorpe does not speak for me and my people, and I am sure she does not speak for many people . First Nations people.”

Nova Peris – a former senator who was the first Aboriginal woman in Parliament and a long-time Republican – also called Thorpe’s actions “shameful and disappointing.”

“Australia is moving forward on its journey of reconciliation… as difficult as that journey is, it requires respectful dialogue, mutual understanding and a shared commitment to healing – not divisive actions that distract from the progress we are making as a country” , she wrote on X.

However, other prominent Indigenous activists have praised Thorpe’s position.

Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts, a Bundjalung lawyer and author, said there was “nothing more damaging or disrespectful” than inviting the monarchy on a tour of the country in the first place, given its history.

“When Thorpe speaks, she has the ancestors with her.”

Following her protest, Thorpe told the BBC she wanted to send a “clear message” to the king.

“To be sovereign, you have to be of the land,” she said. “He’s not from this country.”

Thorpe said on Tuesday she had disrupted the king’s parliamentary welcome ceremony after repeated written requests for a meeting and a “respectful conversation” with the monarch were ignored.

She told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that she “wanted the world to know the plight of our people in this country” and for the king to apologise.

“Why doesn’t he say, ‘I’m sorry for the many, many thousands of massacres that have taken place in this country and that my ancestors and my kingdom are responsible for that’?” she said.

A chorus of Australian politicians, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have also criticized her protest, and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has defended the monarch.

Asked by reporters whether it was “disgraceful” for Australian politicians to shout at the King, Sir Keir replied: “Look, I think the King is doing a fantastic job, an incredible ambassador, not just for our country, but for the entire Commonwealth. .”

“He does his public service there, despite the health problems he himself has had.”

Albanese said Thorpe had failed to meet “the standard behavior that Australians rightly expect from parliamentarians”, while Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called on Thorpe to resign.

“I really don’t care what Dutton says,” Thorpe said in response to ABC Radio.

“I’m going to be here for the next three years, so get used to telling the truth.”