Kalgoorlie: Indigenous protesters attack court and cops

30 August – People smashed windows and jumped on police cars at a West Australian courthouse after a protest over the death of a local teenager turned violent.

A 55-year-old man, was due to appear at a court in Kalgoorlie, east of Perth, charged with the manslaughter of a 14-year-old Aboriginal boy, Elijah Doughty.

The boy’s body was found in nearby bushland on Monday morning.

But violent scenes erupted outside the courthouse with around 200 people smashing building windows with rocks and bottles.

During the violent clash 12 police officers were injured with one needing stitches, police say.

Five cars were smashed when the protest turned violent – but streets have returned to normal after police reinforcements turned up.

‘Several people have been taken into custody in relation to assault police and disorderly offences,’ police said.

According to The West Australian, family and friends of the teenager broke through the gates to the court before throwing rocks through windows.

Others threw bottles at the building and the ABC reported a police officer had been injured during the clash.

A number of people were pictured standing on top of police cars, two of whom were clutching an Aboriginal flag after the boy’s death sparked tensions between local police and the Indigenous community.

Footage from the scene shows dozens of people marching through the streets outside the building, chanting and holding signs.

Demonstrators were seen carrying Aboriginal flags, as well as banners that read: ‘We Want Justice’ and ‘All Lives Matter, Save Our Kids’.

The crowd could be heard chanting: ‘We want justice’ and ‘When do we want it? Now!’.

Doughty’s aunt said the teenager was the third person in the family to die in recent weeks, and described her nephew as ‘a bit of a prankster’.

‘He was a very happy-go-lucky kid; he was never a bad kid,’ the woman told the Kalgoorlie Miner.

He was not a straight-A student but his circumstances were hard, he struggled at school but he had other issues to prioritise.’