Organisers reveal what’s next after Zachary Rolfe speech cancelled by protests
Organisers of an event where an ex-cop acquitted of murder was due to speak have lashed out at protesters, who forced the event to be rescheduled.
Organisers of an event where a NT former cop acquitted of murder was due to speak have lashed out at protesters, describing their “intolerance and animosity” as “deeply troubling”.
They also refuted claims that Zachary Rolfe, the police officer who was acquitted of murder in 2022 for the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker, was offered or requested payment to appear at the invite-only gathering and said a reported $10,000 speaking fee was “fabricated”.
“The Black Lives Matter protesters believe they stopped the summit from going ahead, but they did not,” a spokeswoman for the organisers told news.com.au.
“The decision to change the course of the event was made due to the intolerance and animosity displayed by a select group of protesters. That hostility was not only directed at the event and its speakers but at the broader emergency services community it represents.”
The Frontline Summit: Purpose in Service and Beyond, to be held in Parramatta, was designed to support current and former emergency services personnel in transitioning to post-service careers. Mr Rolfe was one of seven speakers invited to share his experiences.
Organisers said the backlash from protesters was “an attack on freedom of speech and the right for professionals within the emergency services community to gather in a closed and private setting”.
“The planned disruption aimed at silencing those who have dedicated their lives to serving and protecting the public is deeply troubling,” the spokeswoman said
“If we, as a community, cannot come together without facing attempted disruption to honour and support those who serve, that is highly concerning.”
The organisers rescheduled the event when they were notified by police that a protest was being planned.
“While those who are still bound by general orders and media policies are constrained in expressing their frustration, as organisers of this event, we who have served and are no longer subject to such restrictive policies feel compelled to address this reprehensible behaviour publicly,” the organisers said.
“It is our duty to stand where others cannot, and to speak truth where silence is mandated.”
They also emphasised the irony of protesters targeting emergency services workers, many of whom they say would be the first to respond in a crisis.
“We are confident that the same individuals who protested would not hesitate to call emergency services if they were injured, in danger, or if their house was burning down. Yet they choose to disrupt and undermine those who have dedicated their lives to serving them.
“Emergency services lives matter too.”
Mr Rolfe was acquitted of murder and manslaughter after a five-week trial in Darwin, during which the court heard he shot Mr Walker, a 19-year-old Warlpiri man, while attempting to arrest him in the remote community of Yuendumu.
A coronial inquest into Mr Walker’s death is due to deliver its findings on July 7.