Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in a park next to the NT Parliament House to protest the swearing-in of NT administrator David Connolly on Friday morning.
Chants of “not my manager” echoed through the forecourt as David Connolly arrived.
Ropes and bollards were cordoned off on the lawns in front of the NT Parliament. When Uncle Eric Fejo crossed the barrier, he was quickly picked up by police and put in the back of a patrol vehicle.
The action escalated tensions among the demonstrators, who then took to the streets as they were pushed by police to make way for the police car.
NT Independent MP Yingiya Mark Guyula told NITV News he was shocked by the behavior of police.
“Unbelievable, this is a leader of this country,” Guyula said.
‘Not listening to the people of this country is just terrible.’
It follows months of outrage among community members, politicians and First Nations leaders over the appointment of David Connolly.
In January, a raft of now-deleted social media posts by Mr Connolly were branded ‘racist, sexist and misogynistic’.
The posts include comments mocking Welcome to Country ceremonies, ridiculing Indigenous languages and joking about committing domestic violence.
Mr Connolly was selected by the NT Government to become the 24th Administrator of the Northern Territory, a role equivalent to the Governor-General who serves as the King’s representative.
Nyikina woman Natalie Hunter, who is part of the advocacy group Justice Not Jails, told NITV she believes Connolly is “completely unsuitable” for the position.
“I am disgusted that the Prime Minister went ahead with swearing him in today,” she said.
Earlier this week, a broad coalition of First Nations leaders, politicians and community activists wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, calling on him to “urgently withdraw” Connolly’s appointment.
The Prime Minister has not commented, but has previously said: “There is no precedent for the Commonwealth Government intervening in such a way.”
His Labor colleagues, Member for Lingiari Marion Scrymgour and Indigenous Affairs Minister Malarndirri McCarthy, spoke at the protest to express their concerns.
Ms Scrymgour told NITV that she had also written to the Prime Minister to express her concerns, and that she will continue to challenge David Connolly’s appointment.
“The fact that he took the oath today does not mean that I am going to back down and abandon this issue,” she said.
After weeks of silence, David Connolly released a statement on Wednesday apologizing for his previous comments.
“I deeply regret the social media posts I have made in the past,” he said.
“I am truly sorry for the pain they have caused members of the community.”
As he was sworn in at NT Parliament House, David Connolly made his first speech as administrator, saying he was determined to move forward with respect.
“Above all, I bring respect – respect for First Nations people and their continued stewardship of this land for tens of thousands of years, respect for the law and our institutions that hold us together, respect for those who agree with me and those who do not,” he said.
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