Police in Western Australia are investigating a device thrown into the crowd at Perth's Invasion Day rally, sparking a security scare that ended the protest. WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said a 31-year-old man had been arrested after allegedly throwing the device, which contained ball bearings, screws and an unknown liquid in a glass container.
Commissioner Blanch alleged the man threw the object from the upper level of Forrest Place towards the stage area. Witness Jade Cameron described the scene as “chaos”, adding that police prevented elders from entering Forrest Chase and refused to allow the usual ceremony. WA Premier Roger Cook called the incident “unacceptable” and urged respect for differing views.
Meanwhile, thousands marched in Invasion Day protests across eastern states, with clashes reported in Melbourne between about two dozen anti-immigration protesters and the larger 30,000-strong Invasion Day rally. Police in riot gear intervened in four altercations. Similar protests occurred in Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane.
In Sydney, organisers paid tribute to Sophie Quinn, her partner John Harris and her aunt Nerida, who were killed in Lake Cargelligo on Friday. Paul Silva, a Dunghutti man, described Quinn as a “beautiful young woman”. Silva, whose nephew David Dungay Jr died in custody in 2015, said the marches were about educating the next generation to continue the fight.
Speakers criticised the New South Wales government for giving police more authority to stop rallies in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, arguing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples deserve the same respect. Some participants carried Palestinian, Aboriginal and Irish flags.
