NT chief minister condemns unrest in Alice Springs following arrest
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this story includes the name of an Indigenous person who has passed away.
This story may be distressing to some viewers.
NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro describes the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby as “all of our worst nightmares [coming true]” after police discovered the five-year-old’s body on Thursday.
Later that evening, suspect Jefferson Lewis was arrested in Alice Springs and was reportedly taken to Alice Springs hospital where a large crowd gathered, some reportedly calling for “payback” for the girl’s death, angry over a perception that police may have been protecting him from traditional lore.
The term payback refers to traditional punishment under Aboriginal lore in the region. He is understood to have been badly beaten by a group of people in the area who had recognised him.
Finocchiaro has condemned the unrest that saw emergency service workers attacked, saying that the response “should not define what has been an incredible community effort this week”.
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