Perth Invasion Day Rally Site Cleared by Police Following Security Threat
Police in Western Australia have taken the significant step of shutting down the planned location for an Invasion Day rally in Perth's central business district after receiving reports of a specific threat. Authorities issued a public warning on Monday afternoon, urging people to stay away from Forrest Place where they established an exclusion zone and deployed substantial police resources.
One individual has been taken into custody in connection with the security concerns. Jade Cameron, an attendee at the planned event, described the situation as "chaos" to Guardian Australia, noting that police prevented elders from conducting their usual ceremony at the location. "We are deciding to push on and do circles all through the street," Cameron explained, adding that they managed to ensure the safety of elders while continuing their activities elsewhere.
Eastern States See Massive Turnout and Occasional Clashes
Meanwhile, Invasion Day protests concluded across Australia's eastern states with tens of thousands of participants marching in major cities. The generally peaceful demonstrations were interrupted by occasional clashes between the large crowds and smaller groups of anti-immigration protesters in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, and Brisbane.
In Melbourne, approximately two dozen individuals from the March for Australia anti-immigration rally – which attracted around 500 people – confronted the much larger 30,000-strong Invasion Day march as it proceeded down Bourke Street. Police in riot gear and mounted officers, who were primarily focused on the anti-immigration gathering, intervened in four separate altercations involving between two and ten protesters from each side.
Commemoration and Criticism at Sydney Rally
The Sydney event began with a solemn tribute to the families of expectant mother Sophie Quinn, her partner John Harris, and her aunt Nerida, who were tragically killed in Lake Cargelligo, New South Wales, on Friday. Paul Silva, a Dunghutti man speaking alongside people holding photographs of the victims, remembered Quinn as "a beautiful young woman with a gentle and kind nature" who was "looking forward to becoming a mum for her first time."
Notably, police had only confirmed six days prior that participants in the New South Wales march would not face arrest risks. Anti-protest measures implemented after the Bondi terror event had been scaled back to exclude the planned protest route from Hyde Park to Victoria Park. Silva, who is also the nephew of David Dungay Jr who died in custody in 2015, had previously vowed to march regardless of whether the anti-protest laws were lifted.
Participants carried various flags including Palestinian, Aboriginal, and Irish banners. Organiser Paul Silva, whose son delivered the acknowledgement of country, emphasised that Invasion Day marches serve to educate "our emerging next generation to ensure that they continue to fight." One speaker criticised the Minns government for "silencing protests" following the Bondi attack, arguing that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples deserve equal respect and recognition.
Historical Context and Calls for Truth-Telling
At the Melbourne rally, Arrernte woman Celeste Liddle read a statement on behalf of the Warriors for Aboriginal Resistance, noting that participants walked "in the footsteps of those Aboriginal activists, who, 88 years ago to this day, walked through Sydney on what was the first Day of Mourning protest." She highlighted that most demands from that original protest – including full equality, recognition of cultural rights, and an end to brutalisation – remain unaddressed decades later.
Travis Lovett, former deputy commissioner of the Yoorook Justice Commission, called for a national truth-telling commission as promised in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. "We are here because truth matters, we are here because listening matters, we are here because this country cannot heal unless it faces its history honestly," Lovett told the crowd, acknowledging that support for such a body has diminished since the failed Voice to Parliament referendum in 2023.
Confrontations in Canberra and Brisbane
In the nation's capital, the Invasion Day march passed by approximately forty March for Australia protesters dressed in Australian flags on the lawns of Old Parliament House. Organisers had urged participants not to engage with the opposing group, and a line of federal police separated the two gatherings. Some anti-immigration attendees appeared to confront rally participants as they walked past, including shouting at a mother with two young children.
Butchulla woman Wendy Brookman addressed the Canberra rally, emphasising that education is crucial for acknowledging Australia's violent past. "You cannot heal a wound you refuse to look at," she stated. "I don't accept the nation that celebrates while First Nations people grieve. I don't accept being told to get over it while the consequences are still being lived."
Brisbane also witnessed a minor confrontation between Invasion Day protesters and a man draped in an Australian flag. Speakers at the Brisbane rally, which attracted several thousand people, called for a royal commission into racism against Indigenous people, comparing it to the royal commission on antisemitism established after the Bondi terror attack. Speaker Dale Ruska argued that racism has been normalised against First Nations people, describing Australia as "an historical crime scene" deserving of equivalent attention to other national tragedies.
