Victoria Police are investigating an alleged assault at Camp Sovereignty, a significant Indigenous protest site in Melbourne, where a 37-year-old victim was treated for facial injuries.

On the night of Sunday, August 2nd, Ash Ni Mara, a Gunai, Gunditjmara, and Palawa person, was allegedly attacked by two strangers attempting to extinguish the campfire. Ash described feeling “pretty shattered and scattered and quite bruised.” They recounted, “I was sitting with one of our sisters who was pregnant ... and one of our aunties who is elderly and has some mobility issues, so I got up to respond.”

Camp Sovereignty is a sacred site for First Nations people and the resting place for the remains of 38 Indigenous individuals repatriated from the Museum of Victoria. This incident marks the second alleged attack on people at the camp within 12 months.

Robbie Thorpe, a Krautungalung elder and founder of Camp Sovereignty, expressed ongoing concern for the safety of the site. The court heard that on August 31, following a “March for Australia” protest, a group of men stormed the camp carrying sticks and flagpoles, advancing despite being told to leave.

The events have left activists deeply traumatised and highlight tensions surrounding the protection of Indigenous heritage and protest spaces in Melbourne.

Sources