On January 26, a community march in Boorloo/Perth that had been organised to mark Invasion Day was attacked by a man who threw a handmade bomb into the crowd. The device, apparently concealed in a sock and allegedly designed to explode upon impact, was an act of terror that specifically targeted First Nations people and their allies. The device was packed with ball bearings and screws as well as an explosive liquid and was thrown into a densely packed crowd. If the attacker hadn’t failed in their efforts, people in the crowd could have been maimed or killed.

As was noted by The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Katie Kiss, "if this happened at any other event, we'd call it terrorism."

Friends of the Earth Australia is angered by this action and dismayed that police are, as yet, failing to call the act what it was - an act of attempted terror. It took WA police more than two days before they even referred to it as a ‘potential terrorist attack’.

We are deeply concerned that since the attack, both the media and several political leaders have downplayed the gravity of what could easily have been a mass casualty event.

We note the comments from Senator Lidia Thorpe, who said: 

"This attempted bombing follows a clear pattern. The ideologically driven neo-Nazi attack on First Peoples at Camp Sovereignty last year was also downplayed, with authorities refusing to recognise it as a hate crime or an act of terror. Time and again, violence against our people is treated as less serious." 

We support Senator Thorpe’s call that:

"Police must do better in how they communicate with our people. Transparency, accountability and clear communication are essential to community safety, particularly at a time when far-right extremism is an escalating threat."

"On its face, this appears to be a targeted, racist terror attack against First Peoples on our Day of Mourning. That possibility must be taken extremely seriously, not avoided or downplayed."

The Federal Government must lead a comprehensive response. We need seriousness and rapid response to tackle the rising racism and violence against First Peoples across the continent.