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One Nation members must be charged

The Deaths In Custody Watch Committee media release
10 November 1997

The Deaths In Custody Watch Committee is demanding that the WA Police Service lay charges against One Nation Party members who attacked protesters on Tuesday evening.

Eyewitnesses have claimed that one of the assailants was a police officer in plain clothes. Two of the protesters who were injured are taking legal advice and plan to lay charges against their assailants. "One of WA's most respected Aboriginal Elders, Ben Taylor, is in hospital as a result of this ugly incident." Said Glenn Shaw, Chairperson of the Watch Committee.

"Ben is in the Coronary Care Unit at Royal Perth Hospital, after his friends saw him being hustled into a police van by two police officers, who had Ben's arms twisted behind his back." Said Mr Shaw. Another respected Aboriginal Elder, Mingli Wajurrinungala, was among the group of protesters attacked by the One Nation members.

"They came running out like a herd of bullocks," she said.

"There were three of them, great big men, and they started grabbing people and throwing them to the ground, even young girls, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. They were covered in blood and gravel rash."

"It was a shocking sight."said Ms Wajurrinungala. "My daughter was standing beside me with a baby in her arms. I was terrified that they would be hurt."

"I saw a man wearing a One Nation badge manhandling young people and then he produced a Police ID badge."

Until the attack by One Nation members, the protestors were peacefully demonstrating outside the meeting in the Southern River Hall near Gosnells.

Watch Committee Chairperson, Glenn Shaw said, "This disturbing affair is a dramatic example of the deeply un-Australian Nazi style tactics of the One Nation Party."

"We will be contacting Commissioner Falconer to request a thorough investigation of the incident and for charges to be laid against One Nation Party members who took the law into their own hands." "We call on all decent minded people to reject these racist thugs and all they stand for."