The Red Anti-Imperialist Collective condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the terrorist attack on the lands of the Whadjuk Noongar People, Boorloo, on Invasion Day, January 26. This was an attempt to bring harm directly to Elders and the Indigenous community. Red Ant further condemns the colonial state’s police and its state media outlets for their inadequate response, including the exclusion of rally organisers from a meeting with the Commissioner for Police held on the 29th of January. Our struggle against imperialism encompasses all colonised Peoples, and there is none more pertinent in our current time and place than the national liberation of all Aboriginal Nations under occupation in the settler-colony of so-called “Australia”. This heinous act has not occurred in a vacuum; it is an escalation of the ongoing genocidal violence that has been an intentional feature of this settler-colonial project since its inception. To further elaborate on this matter, we look to the members of the communities impacted.
While RedAnt will reprint a selection of quotes here, it is the duty of anti-imperialists to actively seek out the voices of the colonised directly, unfiltered by hegemonic colonial actors. We must recognise that said actors will seek to suppress these voices; we cannot rely on imperialist algorithms to serve them to us.
Invasion Day Boorloo: “Grassroots mob organising the Invasion Day 2026 rally in Boorloo”
https://instagram.com/invasiondayboorloo
Boorloo Justice: “Nyungar-led grassroots activist collective fighting for justice, decolonisation and thriving communities for all”
https://www.instagram.com/boorloojustice
Black Peoples Union: “A First Nations-led union of Mob and accomplices fighting for land back + liberation in so-called ‘Australia’ ”
https://www.blackpeoplesunion.org
https://www.instagram.com/blackpeoplesunion
https://www.blackpeoplesunion.org/donate
Fabian Yarran, Invasion Day rally organiser (https://tr.ee/XIFsWXUL8w):
“This incident must be fully investigated as an act of terrorism and a hate crime against First Nations people and protesters, and appropriately charged as such. The police, government and media response in the 24 hours following the incident has been inadequate, comprising solely of investigations and charges for less serious, non-terror and non-hate offences. The race, religion and political affiliation of the intended victims has clearly guided this lacklustre response, and the organisers condemn any attempt to downplay the politicised motives, hatred and violence of the alleged perpetrator towards rally attendees.”
“The Royal Commission into antisemitism must be immediately expanded to include all forms of racism and far-right extremism. What we are seeing is not an isolated issue; these threats impact many communities, and any serious inquiry must reflect that reality.”
“There was a significant lack of communication from WA Police when the device was discovered, which led to confusion and unnecessary concern. At no point was there clear, timely or transparent communication with rally organisers.”
“This incident highlights a broader and ongoing failure by police to properly address the rise of the far right. These threats are real, escalating, and must be treated with the urgency they demand.”
“Police urgently need better training in community policing and significantly improved protocols for communicating with rally organisers that are done in a culturally appropriate way. Effective community safety depends on strong, respectful relationships and that was completely absent in this case.”
“We also urgently need more First Nations liaison officers within WA Police. First Nations communities are too often excluded from decisions that directly impact us.” More liaison officers are essential to ensure culturally safe communication, build trust, and protect community safety at public events.”
“Negotiations around Invasion Day and other major protests must occur at the level of the Police Commissioner or an Assistant Commissioner, not through low-level policing. These are complex, high-risk events that require senior leadership, accountability and oversight.”
“The rally had already received several serious threats, yet these were not appropriately addressed due to a lack of police communication. This failure placed organisers, participants, and the broader community at risk.”
“WA Police must take the threat of far-right extremism seriously and work collaboratively with communities particularly First Nations communities to ensure public safety, transparency, and accountability.” “We hope WA Police take this feedback seriously and engage constructively with organisers moving forward”
Invasion Day Boorloo (instagram.com/invasiondayboorloo)
“A bomb was dropped on 2500 attendees at the invasion day rally in Boorloo call it what it is, terrorism & a hate crime”
“The bombing is finally and rightfully being investigated as a terrorist attack but we also need this to be investigated as a hate crime. The Bondi terrorist attack was declared terrorism the same night. From Bondi to Boorloo this all stems from hatred and needs to be treated with the same gravity. We are glad to see that authorities have felt the pressure from the community and we must continue pushing.”
“The voices and experiences of the rally organisers, our legal observers, marshals, medics and the community who were there must be centred in discussions with authorities and media. But unfortunately the Invasion Day Boorloo Rally organisers were not invited to the meeting with the Commissioner for Police yesterday.
We request an urgent meeting with the Commissioner to debrief our concerns from the Invasion Day Rally attack. We’ve experienced a terror attack and we need to come together as community as we always have.”
“At this time, the identity of the man charged is legally suppressed. While we do not agree with this decision, or feel it is fair, it is critical that we respect the legal process and do not share or speculate about his identity.
Releasing his name or image now could impact the case, and make it possible to argue there was not a fair trial. You also put yourself at risk of contempt of court which is up to $12000 fine and/or 12 months imprisonment.
Our priority is justice and accountability. We need this senseless act of terrorism, hatred and violence to be taken seriously and prosecuted properly at the highest levels.”
Boorloo Justice (instagram.com/boorloojustice)
“Mob and allies at the invasion day rally in Boorloo were targeted by violent, racist attacks.“
“First by a bomb being thrown into the crowd in what we can assume was a racist hate crime and terrorist attack. It has been confirmed that this would have been a mass casualty event had the bomb successfully gone off. Then by a disgusting display of brutality and negligent mismanagement by WA Police who proceeded to violently push protesters out of the space. Shoving people who were not resisting, using excessive force, spreading mixed messages and negligent crowd control that risked an extremely dangerous crowd crush.”
“The state government and the City of Perth have failed in their duty of care for all in attendance at the rally which included elderly people, Community Elders and leaders, and young children.
If the City had stuck to its commitments for truth-telling and representing the true history as they have committed to in their Cultural Development Plan 2019-2029, this incident could have been prevented or it could have at least had more opportunities for mitigation, risk preparation and overall better communication The City of Perth choosing to cancel the Birak concert is another example of their lack of concern for First Nations people. When will our safety and wellbeing matter?
No one in the surrounding shopping malls or at the ‘march for australia’ protest were asked to disperse and certainly not treated with the brutality that Mob, including Elders were treated with at the rally. No one denies that a bomb threat should be taken seriously but even when we are targeted by domestic terrorism, Mob still end up being brutalised by Police.“
“The biggest threat of terrorism in so-called Australia is white supremacist, colonial violence as it has been since 1788.”
Black Peoples Union (instagram.com/blackpeoplesunion/)
“This year in the streets of Boorloo, a terrorist attack was attempted against Elders, the Indigenous community, and accomplices who were standing against the boot of colonialism on January 26. The terrorist’s sole goal was the mass killing and injury of Aboriginal people with an IED.“
“We cannot condemn enough the vile acts perpetrated against our community. For us, Invasion Day is every day. Whether it be violent evictions from homes, our young people being shot on the street, children being ripped out of their mother’s arms, or the ongoing mass incarceration of our people; our community is viewed as expendable by the broader australian community. This much is very clear. We condemn the colonial media of “australia” and its complicity in pushing false narratives that harm our communities. We condemn also the lack of outrage, not just that which is expected from the fascist press, but from the so-called allies that stood up around the continent, who have since gone silent at the attempted massacre of Indigenous people on the anniversary this continent was invaded.“
“It doesn’t go unnoticed that when there is a threat against zionist institutions, destruction of colonial monuments or anti-zionist graffiti, that it is in the press for weeks. This includes condemnations and statements from political parties and settler organisations of the so-called left. But when it comes to a near mass casualty event of our people we are met with silence.
When organisations say, “this isn’t who we are”, does that mean property is more important to their moral standing than the lives of Aboriginal people? Graffiti of a red triangle on a statue is labelled as terrorism, but a bomb thrown at our community is not.“
“We also condemn the violence following the failed terrorist attack, where WA Police brutalised a confused and worried community, risking a crowd crush as they used excessive force. All the while, the surrounding public was not dispersed in the same manner.
This act of terrorism is not un-australian: violence is the australian way of being. To call an act of terrorism “un-australian” is to deny the historical truth that the system is built upon slaughter. Violence comes as no surprise to Indigenous people, it is on our doorstep every day we wake up, and it will continue after January 26th until the next Invasion Day returns.
All around the continent, violence has been perpetrated against us. In Narrm, the same perpetrators of the 2025 attack on Camp Sovereignty walked free, bashing people on the street. On Ngambri/Ngunnawal country, a 9-year-old girl was amongst the crowd of women attacked by white men, and on Gubbi Gubbi country, a man attempted to run over a group of women and a child leaving the Invasion Day rally. Violence is all Indigenous people know, because violence is all Australian culture ever has been.”
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