Late on March 12, a group of drunken men yelling abuse and threats of physical violence entered the site of the Aboriginal occupation of the planned Brighton Bypass in Tasmania.
Trudy Maluga from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre described it as a “Ku Klux Klan-type” incident, the Hobart Mercury reported on March 17.
“A group of Aborigines has been harassed and racially abused by a large group of drunken men and youths at the Kutalayna camp at Brighton,” Maluga said.
“The group yelled threats and abuse at Aborigines, while also damaging a Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre vehicle and vandalising the metal sign at the entrance of the camp.
Due to the arrival of police the attackers failed to make physical contact with the campaigners occupying the site and holding up bridge construction.
Maluga said the state government must put in place “measures to prevent this sort of Ku Klux Klan attitude from occurring again.”
The bridge is planned to go on a 42,000-year-old Aboriginal heritage site.