Police have left Perth’s Heirisson Island after being called in to support council workers dismantling an Aboriginal tent embassy protest.
About 50 officers including mounted, K-9 and the air wing swarmed the island on Friday afternoon after protesters failed to leave by the midday deadline, AAP reported.
But after spending about an hour trying to peacefully break up the protest, the officers started to leave the area. They said there were no arrests and no move-on notices issued.
A spokesman for WA police confirmed that officers, including mounted police, had been called in to assist City of Perth employees in clearing the protest site.
The city council said in a statement that one vehicle and two truckloads of camping gear were removed from the island.
The Nyoongar protesters were given until midday on Friday to leave the Swan river island, where they had been camping for more than a week. WA police would not confirm how many police officers were at the site but emphasised it was not a police action.
Earlier in the day, protester Bella Bropho said the camp wasn’t going to give up without a fight.
“If this fails, I don’t know where people are going to go,” she said.
#matagarup police line pic.twitter.com/zPq5MYjATj
— Scott Ludlam (@SenatorLudlam) March 13, 2015
The City of Perth had said Friday’s outcome was entirely in the hands of the campers.
It said camping on the island was not permitted under local law and it was up to the protesters to remove their equipment, vehicles and fires by the deadline.
