{"id":438483,"date":"2026-01-26T12:00:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T12:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/438483\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T12:00:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T12:00:18","slug":"perth-invasion-day-rally-possible-explosive-device-thrown-into-crowd-forrest-place-evacuated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/438483\/","title":{"rendered":"Perth Invasion Day rally: Possible explosive device thrown into crowd, Forrest Place evacuated"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thousands of Invasion Day demonstrators were evacuated from Forrest Place in Perth\u2019s CBD after a potential explosive was thrown into the crowd on Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Police used megaphones to urge people protesting against the celebration of Australia Day on January 26 to immediately disperse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is something in the crowd at this time. I cannot verify your safety. Please get out, your safety is paramount,\u201d they called to the crowd, just before 1pm.<\/p>\n

Police officers formed a tight, straight line to push people away from the exclusion zone, and performed a grid search of the public space.<\/p>\n

Police found the device and discovered it was made up of ball bearings and screws wrapped around a glass container full of an unknown liquid.<\/p>\n

\"PoliceCamera IconPolice set up a perimeter around this bag, although its contents or relevance are unconfirmed. Credit: Michael Wilson\/The West Australian\"HundredsCamera IconHundreds of demonstrators have been evacuated from Forrest Place. Credit: Michael Wilson<\/p>\n

The device did not detonate and there were no injuries. Police said they do not believe there is any ongoing threat to public safety.<\/p>\n

Hours later, police confirmed a 31-year-old man from Warwick had been arrested after throwing what he said was an explosive device.<\/p>\n

Police confirmed the suspect\u2019s home was being searched.<\/p>\n

\"PoliceCamera IconPolice officers formed a tight, straight line to push people away from the exclusion zone, and performed a grid search of the public space. Credit: Michael Wilson\"DozensCamera IconDozens of protestors antagonised police and resisted calls to move on. Credit: Michael Wilson<\/p>\n

The Invasion Day event in Forrest Place kicked off at midday with a traditional smoking ceremony and welcome to country, as protesters held signs reading, \u201calways was, always will be Aboriginal land\u201d, and \u201cstolen land, stolen babies, stolen wages, stolen lives\u201d.<\/p>\n

Noongar elder Hedley Hayward said January 26 was a day of mourning to remember \u201cthe many who suffered under the heavy weight of invasion and ongoing settler colonialism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year marks 200 years since the invasion of Menang Country in the southwest of Noongar Boodjar, 200 years of strength, 200 years of survival, 200 years of truth, waiting to be honoured,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stand here as a Noongar elder and say this clearly: Our story did not end 200 years ago, our story is not finished today.<\/p>\n

\"SignsCamera IconSigns at the Invasion Day rally. Credit: Michael Wilson\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

\u201cAll those who think they can stonewall, hide or (think) we will forget, you are on notice, we will never forget<\/p>\n

\u201cNot when our people are dying in custody, not when our children are being taken and locked away, not when our elders are denied support, not when our families are pushed into homelessness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Hayward demanded an independent investigation into Aboriginal deaths in custody, and called on the government to close Casuarina Prison\u2019s notorious Unit 18.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe demand that every justice worker carries a real duty of care with mandated cultural awareness training,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"DozensCamera IconDozens of protestors antagonised police and resisted calls to move on. Credit: Michael Wilson<\/p>\n

\u201cEnd the lockdowns, increase staffing, meet international prison standards \u2014 we demand housing justice, end homelessness, shelter is a human right for everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not about policy, this is about survival, every voice here matters, every lived experience matters, don\u2019t let anyone tell you your voice is too small.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we come together, when we speak together, when we refuse to be silent together, this country has no choice but to listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a separate March for Australia made its way through the CBD shortly afterwards.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of marchers, many draped in Australian flags, had earlier gathered at Wellington Square where One Nation WA leader Rod Caddies told them they were fighting for \u201cthe right for free speech\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"MarchCamera IconMarch for Australia rally in Wellington Square. Credit: Iain Gillespie\/The West Australian<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thousands of Invasion Day demonstrators were evacuated from Forrest Place in Perth\u2019s CBD after a potential explosive was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":438484,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,8984,6830,44,46],"class_list":["post-438483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-disaster-and-emergency","tag-indigenous-australians","tag-news","tag-perth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/438484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}