Markets 
Weather 
Australia’s senate has condemned an attempted bombing at Perth’s Invasion Day rally on January 26, with Senator Lidia Thorpe labelling the incident “an act of horrific, overt hate and racism”.
A Perth man, 31, was arrested moments after allegedly throwing a homemade bomb packed with ball bearings, screws and chemicals into a 2500-strong crowd who had peacefully gathered at Forrest Place to protest the date of Australia Day.
The bomb, which police allege was designed to explode on impact, did not detonate, and the area was evacuated.
The accused man, whose identity has been suppressed, was charged with intent to cause harm and making an explosive device with suspicious intentions.
WA Police, the Australia Federal Police and ASIO are jointly investigating whether the attack will be classified as a terrorist act, with a decision expected this week.
“The WA Joint Counterterrorism Team investigation is ongoing, and further charges have not been ruled out,” a spokeswoman said.
Moving a motion to condemn the bombing in the senate on Tuesday, Thorpe said an attack against First Nations people was an attack against all Australians.
“The attempted bombing was an act of horrific, overt hate and racism. What followed was the quieter, insidious thrum of the entrenched, systemic racism that shapes this country,” she said.
“Decisions were made in newsrooms, in ministerial offices, in the daily rhythms of power, about whether this was urgent, whether it mattered, whether our lives mattered.”
Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy called the incident “an attempted bombing of a peaceful, First Nations rally, led by First Nations, Australians and their allies”.
“This was an attack on the social cohesion of the Australian community, it was an attack on all Australians,” she said.
“When our social cohesion is attacked, all of us in this chamber, the government, the opposition, the cross bench, must apply consistent focus and condemnation.
“Leaders, words carry meaning, and our government will not be silent. The Albanese government condemns this sickening and abhorrent.”
Opposition Indigenous spokesperson Kerrynne Liddle said it was “just luck” that the homemade bomb did not detonate.
“This act of violence is about behaviour, not about politics. Violence is wrong, no matter who commits it, when they commit it, or why they commit it,” she said.
“All people must be free to protest lawfully and peacefully without fear harm, regardless of their views.”
Greens leader Larissa Waters said the silence from media and conservatives on the incident had been deafening, and that the court’s decision to suppress the accused man’s identity “speaks volumes”.
“The attacks in Naarm [Melbourne] and Boorloo [Perth] are an escalation of violence against First Nations people who are already facing entrenched racism and systemic abuse, yet the responses to the attacks highlight a brutal truth, not all acts of hate are treated equally in this country,” she said.
The motion to condemn the attempted bombing was passed without amendment.
On Monday, WA Premier Roger Cook indicated that Commonwealth authorities were preparing to make a call on whether the incident was a terrorist act in the coming days.
Cook said from his point of view, the incident appeared to be a terrorist act, but that there were certain definitions that must be met for it to be formally deemed as such.
“The actual assigning of an act of terror is undertaken by a joint taskforce between Commonwealth and state agencies, and then ultimately the Commonwealth agency is the one that declares whether it is a terrorist attack,” he said.
“We look as bystanders at the circumstances of this horrible act, and you would not be surprised if ultimately the Commonwealth makes that decision.”
Australian National University terrorism researcher Dr Michael Zekulin said the decision to call something an “act of terror” by WA Police or federal authorities would ultimately come when investigators were able to determine the accused man’s main alleged motivation.
“Specifically whether an incident is being done for ‘personal’ reasons or if there is a broader political, ideological goal,” he said.
The political fallout of the incident has also continued in West Australian politics, with Cook accusing Opposition leader Basil Zempilas of “being silent” on the issue.
“I don’t think it received enough attention from some Western Australian politicians,” he said.
Zempilas first decried the incident in a weekly column on Friday, when he said any action that deprived or endangered West Australians’ right to gather and protest lawfully should be condemned and punished with the full force of the law.
On Sunday, Zempilas defended the time it took him to comment on the incident, saying it was the first opportunity he was given to do so.
“I note that the Premier, the Police commissioner and the Police Minister spoke hours after what took place in Forrest Place. They were the right authorities and the right leaders to be taking charge and carriage of what was an unfolding situation,” he said.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Nick Newling is a federal politics reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.From our partners
Read the full article here
