Civil disturbances in Western Australia include race riots, prison riots, and religious conflictsoften Protestant versus Catholic groups. The earliest civil disturbances were actions by the local Aboriginal 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 and 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. 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. - see also Riots at Fremantle Prison between this date and 1988 1894 - Riot at Mallina - Pilbara Goldfield - over Goldfield Warden Decision -Accounts in Northern Public Opinion 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26 Sept 1895 see - see also and see also 1897 - Riot after Catholics attacked Protestants during 12th July parade - Coolgardie 1898 - Riot in September on leases - Kalgoorlie 1899 - Riot on Wharf during Lumper Strike - Fremantle 1899 - Riot in September on leases over alluvial regulations made by '10 ft Ned' Wittenoom - 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 1914 - Race riots - between Japanese, Malay - Broome 1915 - Race riots - anti-German riot - Fremantle 1916 - Anti-Greek riots - Perth (October), Kalgoorlie (December) 1917 - Anti-Conscription riot - CueOliver War & Peace chapter 3 1919 Fremantle Wharf riot 1919 - Race riots - anti-Slav riot - Fremantle 1919 - Inter union violence Kalgoorlie/Boulderpp. 78-81 of 1919 - Protests against increase in price of beer - Kalgoorlie pp. 81-82 1920 - Broome race riots of 1920 - Japanese vs Malay and returned servicemen - Broome 1922 - Demonstrations against Mitchell governmentp.228 of 1923 (1925?) - Hotel Workers Strike - Perth 1924/6 - Seamen's Strike - FremantleWilliams First Furrow pp.95-96Oliver War and Peace pp.253-256 1929 - Mutiny at Fremantle Prison over shaving - Fremantle 1931 - 'Treasury Building' incident - PerthWilliams First Furrow pp.119-122S Wilson, Police perceptions of protest: the Perth "Treasury riot" of March 1931, Labour history no 52, May 1987, pp. 63-74 1934 - Anti-Italian/Slav riot - KalgoorlieWilliams First furrow pp. 143-147 1940/45 - American/Australian Servicemen incidents - various locations 1944 - 11 April "Huge riot" in Fremantle High Street involving 500-600 peoplemany 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 1946 - Pilbara Pastoral Strike 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 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
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Further reading