Protesters clashed with police in Australia after the arrest of a suspected killer of an Aboriginal girl
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Hundreds of protesters clashed with emergency workers in a remote Australian town following the arrest of a man accused of killing a five-year-old Aboriginal girl, police said on Friday.
Jefferson Lewis, a 47-year-old man, who police say is believed to have abducted and killed the girl, was found by locals and beaten unconscious on Thursday night before being caught by police, said Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole at a press conference.
“He introduced himself at one of the city camps in Alice Springs last night. Because of his introduction, the members of that city camp decided to do justice to Jefferson,” he said.
The girl, now known by her family as Kumanjayi Little Baby in accordance with traditional customs, went missing from her home on the outskirts of Alice Springs on Saturday.
His body was found on Thursday by one of hundreds of people searching the densely populated area around the town, a popular tourist destination in Australia's Northern Territory.
Lewis, who was identified by police as a suspect earlier in the week, has been convicted of assault and has just been released from prison.
The suspect moved to safety
A crowd of about 400 people later gathered outside the Alice Springs hospital where Lewis was being treated, trying to force their way in, Dole said in a separate interview with public broadcaster ABC.
Footage from the ABC showed Aboriginal people demanding payment, a reference to traditional punishment, mostly corporal, in Aboriginal communities.
The police fired tear gas to disperse the angry crowd, threw projectiles and set fires, injuring dozens of police and medical personnel, destroying police cars, ambulances and fire trucks.
“There is no excuse for violence against emergency workers who are just doing their job,” said Dole.
“I'm asking for peace in the community today … I like to think that what we saw last night was disobedience.”
Lewis was flown to the regional capital Darwin on Friday morning for safety, Dole said. You will probably be charged in the coming days.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he understood “people's anger and frustration” but urged the public to come together.
After the violent incident, a day-long alcohol ban will be in place and extra police will be arriving from Darwin, Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said.
Alcohol restrictions are enforced in the city on certain days of the week in an effort to reduce crime.
Australia has struggled for decades to reconcile with its Aboriginal people, who have lived on the land for some 50,000 years but were marginalized by British colonial rulers.
Aboriginal Australians make up about 3.8% of Australia's 27 million people, but they trail closely in all economic and social indicators and have disproportionately high rates of suicide and incarceration.
Thousands, including the victim and his family, live in communities known as camps on the outskirts of Alice Springs, where housing and services are often inadequate.
