Civil disturbances in Western Australia explained

Civil disturbances in Western Australia include race riots, prison riots, and religious conflicts  - often Protestant versus Catholic groups.

The earliest civil disturbances were actions by the local indigenous population dealing with European settlers.

Demonstrations and protests are linked to a range of issues over time.

In the convict era, there were collective actions by convicts. Organised labour had to deal with issues on the Goldfields in the 1890s and 1900s with demonstrations and protest actions, while in Perth these occurred in the 1960s and 1970s over war and race issues.

There are some incidents in the 19th century where the causes are less clear. A restricted press and limited means of some groups to gain avenues to express their grievances in a dominated society, means that some disturbances were suppressed literally and disguised in the public record.

In some cases some smaller disturbances (alcohol-related fights) in the Goldfields (Kalgoorlie, Boulder and Coolgardie for instance) would not be considered full-scale riots, but nonetheless the charges found either in newspaper or police records would suggest a significance beyond a simple incidence of drunken behaviour.

Incidents

Many of these events/incidents are difficult to find from direct references, and require diligent examination of sources. Some are unlikely to show up in newspaper reports at all. In some cases incidents need checking and more accurate dating.

• 1834 - Race riots against Lascars (Portuguese creole stokers) - Perth
• 1853 - Convicts on 'Phoebe Dunbar' - "a disturbance of a rather serious nature" while at anchor.^[1]
• 1854 - Convicts riot over religious issue - Fremantle Prison. Prisoners revolted when mass was cancelled due to the suspension of the Roman Catholic Chaplain for calling the Protestant Chaplain "an Agent of the Devil" during a sermon. Five prisoners received 100 lashes each as an example.^[2]

- see also Riots at Fremantle Prison between this date and 1988

• 1894 - Riot at Mallina - Pilbara Goldfield - over Goldfield Warden Decision -^[3]
• 1897 - Riot after Catholics attacked Protestants during 12th July parade - Coolgardie^{[4] [5]}
• 1898 - Riot in September on leases - Kalgoorlie
• 1899 - Riot on Wharf during Lumper Strike - Fremantle^[6]
• 1899 - Riot in September on leases over alluvial regulations made by '10 ft Ned' Wittenoom^[7] - Kalgoorlie
• 1901 - Conflict between Catholics and Protestants - Kalgoorlie
• 1901 - Anti-Protestant conflict on 12 July - Boulder 12th July parade
• 1905 - Race riots - between Chinese, Japanese, Malay - Broome
• 1905-10? - Race riots Anti-Italian riots - Gwalia and Leonora
• 1910 - Tramway Strike riots - Perth and East Perth^[8]
• 1914 - Race riots - between Japanese, Malay - Broome^[9]
• 1915 - Race riots - anti-German riot - Fremantle
• 1916 - Anti-Greek riots - Perth (October), Kalgoorlie (December)
• 1917 - Anti-Conscription riot - Cue^[10]
• 1919 Fremantle Wharf riot
• 1919 - Race riots - anti-Slav riot - Fremantle
• 1919 - Inter union violence Kalgoorlie/Boulder^[11]
• 1919 - Protests against increase in price of beer - Kalgoorlie^[12]
• 1920 - Broome race riots of 1920 - Japanese vs Malay and returned servicemen - Broome
• 1922 - Demonstrations against Mitchell government^[13]
• 1923 (1925?) - Hotel Workers Strike - Perth^[14]
• 1924/6 - Seamen's Strike - Fremantle^{[15] [16]}
• 1929 - Mutiny at Fremantle Prison over shaving - Fremantle
• 1931 - 'Treasury Building' incident - Perth^{[17] [18] [19]}
• 1934 - Anti-Italian/Slav riot - Kalgoorlie^[20]
• 1940/45 - American/Australian Servicemen incidents - various locations
• 1944 - 11 April "Huge riot" in Fremantle High st involving 500-600 people^[21]
• 1946 - Pilbara Pastoral Strike^[22] meetings in Perth - broken up
• 1947–55 - 'Cold War Violence' - incidents between CPA, and opponents and police - various locations
• 1956+ - Dock strike scuffles and incidents - Fremantle^{[23] [24]}
• 1967+ - Demonstration Anti Vietnam war events until the 1970s - various locations
• 1971 - Demonstration Anti Apartheid/Springbok Tour incidents - various locations
• 1974+ - Demonstration "54b of Police Act" incidents - various locations
• 1988 - Fremantle prison riot and Fire - Fremantle
• 2016 - Aboriginal protest - Kalgoorlie

See also

• Race riot
• Racial violence in Australia

Further reading

• Book: Irish Convict Lives. Bob Reece. 1993. Crossing Press. 0-646-15013-8.

Notes and References

1. News: Domestic Sayings and Doings. 11 October 2016. The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News. 23 September 1853. 3.
2. News: Domestic Sayings and Doings. 11 October 2016. The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News. 13 January 1854. 2.
3. Accounts in Northern Public Opinion 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26 Sept 1895 see - News: NORTHERN PUBLIC OPINION. . . VI . 291 . Western Australia . 7 August 1902 . 24 November 2016 . 2 . National Library of Australia. see also and see also
4. News: THE COOLGARDIE RIOT. . . WA . 14 July 1897 . 22 July 2015 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
5. News: THE TWELFTH OF JULY. . . Perth, WA . 16 July 1897 . 22 July 2015 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
6. News: The Advertiser. . . WA . 1 April 1899 . 22 July 2015 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
7. News: Ten-Foot Ned. . . 4 . 974 . Western Australia . 19 January 1899 . 18 October 2016 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
8. News: TRAMWAY STRIKE . . LXIX . 204 . Tasmania, Australia . 27 August 1910 . 18 October 2016 . 8 (DAILY) . National Library of Australia.
9. News: RACIAL RIOT AT BROOME . . XXX . 3,964 . Western Australia . 14 December 1914 . 18 October 2016 . 8 . National Library of Australia.
10. Oliver War & Peace chapter 3
11. pp. 78-81 of
12. pp. 81-82
13. p.228 of
14. News: WESTERN AUSTRALIA. . . XLI . 7,126 . Western Australia . 30 March 1925 . 18 October 2016 . 7 . National Library of Australia.
15. Williams First Furrow pp.95-96
16. Oliver War and Peace pp.253-256
17. Williams First Furrow pp.119-122
18. S Wilson, Police perceptions of protest: the Perth "Treasury riot" of March 1931, Labour history no 52, May 1987, pp. 63-74
19. Web site: Salmon . Alex . 2020 . The 1931 Perth Treasury Building Riot: Unemployed workers during the Great Depression . 2022-08-03 . The Commons Social Change Library . en-AU.
20. Williams First furrow pp. 143-147
21. many injured, 2 killed see A J Barker, Yanks in Western Australia: The impact of United States Servicemen in p. 126 and appendix II. see also
22. News: NATIVE QUESTION. . . 62 . 18,706 . Western Australia . 27 June 1946 . 18 October 2016 . 11 . National Library of Australia.
23. News: STRIKE HOPES HINGE ON ACTU[?] AND CABINET ]. . Victoria, Australia . 30 January 1956 . 26 November 2016 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
24. News: WHARFIED TO CHALLENGE 'ILLEGAL STRIKE' RULE . . Victoria, Australia . 28 January 1956 . 26 November 2016 . 5 . National Library of Australia.