Riot erupts in Australia after killing of five-year-old Indigenous girl

Shock and fury swept through a remote Australian town after the arrest of a man suspected of murdering a five-year-old Indigenous girl triggered violent clashes between protesters and emergency services workers, police said today.

Australia’s Prime Minister, the Northern Territory’s police commissioner and a spokesperson for the victim’s family all urged calm after an angry crowd of about 400 Indigenous people gathered last night outside the hospital where the suspect had been taken after locals allegedly beat him unconscious.

Video of the unrest broadcast by ABC showed people in the crowd demanding payback, a term used for traditional, usually physical, punishment in Aboriginal societies.

Protesters hurled projectiles and lit fires, injuring several police officers and medical staff, while also damaging police vehicles, ambulances and fire trucks. Police responded by deploying tear gas to break up the crowd.

“As a result of presenting himself, members of that town camp decided to inflict vigilante justice upon Jefferson,” he said.

The girl, now referred to by her family as Kumanjayi Little Baby in accordance with Indigenous customs, disappeared from her home on the outskirts of Alice Springs late on Saturday.

Her body was found yesterday by one of hundreds of people searching the thick bushland surrounding the town, a well-known tourist destination in Australia’s Northern Territory.

Mr Lewis, who police identified earlier in the week as ‌a suspect, has previous convictions for physical assault and was recently released from prison.

“I just call for calm across the community today … I’d like to think ⁠that what we saw last night is an aberration,” Comm Dole said, adding that Mr Lewis was flown to the territory capital Darwin in the early ‌hours of this morning for his own protection.

He is likely to be charged in the coming days.

Prime Minister ⁠Anthony Albanese said ‌he understood “people’s anger and frustration” but called on the community to unite.

Robin Granites, a senior Aboriginal elder and spokesperson for the family, also appealed for restraint.

“This man has been caught, thanks to community action, and we must now let justice take its course while we take the time to mourn Kumanjayi Little Baby and support our family,” he said in a statement.

“Now ⁠is not the time to be heroes on social media or make trouble.”

A day-long ban on takeaway alcohol will be imposed and more police will be sent from ⁠Darwin to prevent tensions from escalating further, Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said.

Alcohol restrictions already apply in the town on certain days of the week as authorities try to curb crime.

Australia has spent decades grappling with how to reconcile with its Indigenous population, who have lived on the continent for about 50,000 years but were pushed to the margins under British colonial rule.

Indigenous Australians account for around 3.8% of the country’s population of about 27 million, yet remain near the bottom on almost every major economic and social measure and face disproportionately high rates of suicide and incarceration.

Thousands of Indigenous Australians, including the victim and her family, live in communities known as camps ‌on the outskirts of Alice Springs, where housing and basic services are often inadequate.