Mayor Urges Federal Intervention Following Aboriginal Riots Through Town

A police vehicle outside the Alice Springs Police Station in Alice Springs, Australia, on Sept. 4, 2022. AAP Image/Aaron Bunch

The mayor of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory has pleaded with the federal government to step in and put the whole territory under its control following a violent riot that resulted in buildings damaged and workers forced to lock themselves indoors on March 26.

Residents in the city centre of Australia’s outback were shocked when hundreds of Indigenous people gathered at around 3 p.m. and started to attack businesses and vehicles in the area with crowbars, bricks, and rocks.

Videos on the internet showed Aboriginal young adults and teenagers using weapons to smash the doors and windows of a local tavern while staff and customers were forced to barricade themselves inside the buildings.

Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson said he could not describe how violent the riot was.

“It was hundreds of people gathered, going through the CBD, starting at one end and working their way through,” he said in an interview with Sky News after the incident occurred.

“There’s terrible vision of 200 people walking across the bridge yesterday with weapons, coming into the CBD.

“It was very frightening and I’ve got absolutely no more descriptive words to describe what we’re living in any more.”

The mayor said police were outnumbered and believed the situation was out of the Northern Territory government’s control.

“I’ve had enough. With all respect to the Northern Territory Government and Opposition they just need to move out of the way now. I’ve asked for the Federal Government to step in before, I’ve asked for the AFP and the Army,” Mr. Paterson said.

“We have shown that we are not mature enough to lead ourselves as a jurisdiction. The Northern Territory government need to remove themselves, and we need the federal government to step in and be under the control of the federal government.”

In a Facebook post, Action for Alice 2020, a community group, also stated that the violence was beyond what the local law enforcement agency could handle.

“We need more than police. Our poor police can’t do this alone. Enough now,” it said.

One resident expressed frustration, commenting: “First Nations finest. To think the government wanted to give them a say in what we can do.”

“Welcome to country,” said another.

This was not the first time that Mr. Paterson had called on the federal government to step in.

In early 2023, the mayor pleaded for the federal police and the Australian Defence Force to be sent to the remote town to quell a surge in Indigenous crime.

Nevertheless, Northern Territory Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker dismissed Mr. Paterson’s calls, saying the efforts of local law enforcement agencies were effective in tackling crimes.

Police Minister Kate Worden also defended Labor’s handling of the crimes.

“Police are responding to crime in Alice Springs appropriately and they are making a large number of arrests,” Ms. Worden said.