Australian senator Lidia Thorpe in hot water after Hamas confusion over 'I love chocolate milk' headband

Australian senator Lidia Thorpe found herself in a pickle this week after posting a picture of herself wearing a green headband with "I love chocolate milk" written in Arabic, which some people believed was Hamas paraphernalia.

The senator, who serves as an Independent for Victoria state, posted the selfie on X on Tuesday but deleted it soon after receiving comments comparing the headband to the Hamas flag.

Thorpe, who is a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights, posted the image with the caption: "I wholeheartedly support this message... I hope you do too!"

The Australian Jewish Association was quick to take offence, claiming the image was too similar to the Hamas logo, with matching Arabic calligraphy and a comparable green colour of the Palestinian group's flag.

Thorpe responded to critics online saying she was not aware of the resemblance and the reaction was "predictable", but took the post hours down later.

In a statement on Thursday, Thorpe said: "As I have already said, I was not aware of the resemblance between this headband, which says 'I love chocolate milk', and items worn by Hamas members. When I became aware of this, I immediately chose to delete the post and have apologised to anyone who was upset."

"I strongly refute any suggestion that I would intentionally seek to display any sort of prohibited symbol. That’s a very serious and potentially defamatory suggestion to make, which is false," she said.

"To be very clear, I do not support violence committed by Hamas. And I do not advocate for violence of any sort in Palestine or anywhere. I continue to advocate for peace and a ceasefire," she added.

"And again I will reiterate, this post was intended as a lighthearted post, with Arabic-speaking people as the intended audience."

The Daily Mail Australia reported that the Australian Federal Police had received a "report of crime" over the photo, although there was no suggestion any crime had been committed.

The New Arab has contacted the Australian Federal Police for comment.

In a separate statement to the Australian outlet, Thorpe said: "My advocacy around Palestine is about pushing for peace and an end to the violence we’re seeing every day."

She also called on the Australian government to push for a ceasefire in Gaza and pledged to focus on Israel's onslaught on the enclave which has killed over 38,840 people - mostly women and children.

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