Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe has claimed her comments at yesterday’s pro-Palestine rally were “clearly a figure of speech”.

Speaking at the rally on Sunday, Thorpe’s words elicited reactions from fellow politicians, which she called “mock outrage”.

“We stand with you every day, and we will fight every day, and we will turn up every day, and if I have to burn down Parliament House to make a point,” Thorpe said. “I am not there to make friends.”

One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson accused Thorpe of “treason” in a statement made this morning.

“Senator Thorpe’s inciteful remarks are both a threat to public order and community safety,” she said.

Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth urged Thorpe to “turn down the temperature” and that her comments were “clearly unacceptable”.

“I think if fighting can stop in the Middle East, we need to make sure we are turning the temperature down here at home,” Rishworth told Today.

Today, Thorpe made a statement, saying that once again, politicians and media are focusing on “chasing a scandal instead of on what matters”.

“My rally remarks were clearly a figure of speech, a metaphor for the pain in our communities and the urgent need to end genocide in Palestine and everywhere,” she said.

“I have always rejected violence. Any suggestion otherwise misrepresents my longstanding commitment to pursuing justice and self-determination for First Peoples and all oppressed peoples through peaceful, democratic means.”

Photo: 180922_Lydia-Thorpe-Sydney_09 by Mark Riboldi found HERE and used under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license. The image has not been modified.