FEAR WON’T SILENCE US: MARIANNE MCKAY ON INVASION DAY ATTACK
A 31-year-old man has been arrested and charged with terrorism offences following an incident at the Invasion Day rally in Perth’s Forrest Place on January 26, where a handmade explosive device was thrown into the crowd. While the device did not detonate, authorities later described the incident as a terrorist attack — the first time terrorism charges have been laid in Western Australia in relation to such an act.
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Veteran Noongar activist Marianne McKay, who has spent decades organising and attending Invasion Day rallies, was not physically present on the day but witnessed the unfolding events via FaceTime. She said the incident has left many in the Aboriginal community shaken, with particular concern for the safety and wellbeing of young people, while also reinforcing the need for stronger protections at community-led protests.
“I worry for our community safety, because it’s sad that we live in a country where people think they have the right to cause harm and try to silence us,” she said.
Credit: John Janson Moore
Despite the trauma caused by the attack, McKay said Aboriginal people remain strong and determined to continue speaking truth to power. She emphasised that Invasion Day remains one of the few national platforms for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to come together to tell the true history of the country and highlight ongoing injustices, including deaths in custody, child removals, incarceration, housing insecurity and the dispossession of land.
“This is our one day of the year where we get to stand up on a national level and tell our truth — and nothing is ever going to stop us from doing that,” McKay said.
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McKay says the incident highlights the urgent need for a Truth and Justice Commission in Western Australia and for governments to work alongside Aboriginal communities to ensure protests remain both safe and accessible, reaffirming that the right to protest is a fundamental human right that must be protected.