Suspects identified in Old Parliament House fire

Several suspects have been identified for possible charges, with the protesters facing up to 15 years’ imprisonment.

Several suspects have been identified for possible charges of arson, incitement, assaulting a police officer and damage to Commonwealth property with the protesters who set fire to Old Parliament House facing penalties of up to 15 years’ imprisonment.

The AFP is leading a joint task force with ACT Policing to identify the protesters from body cameras worn by officers on the ground, CCTV footage from Old Parliament House and clips circulating on social media, with a number of witnesses having already been interviewed.

Videos posted online clearly show the blaze which engulfed the entrance to Old Parliament House was deliberately lit against the door of the building, with protesters fuelling the flames in actions that are not consistent with indigenous smoking ceremonies.

The Minister responsible for Old Parliament House, Ben Morton, said on Friday there was “no approval whatsoever given for a fire of any sort to be at the doors of Old Parliament House or under the portico that burnt.”

“I’ve been to smoking ceremonies before and I haven’t seen them leading to buildings burning down. What I’ve seen on the footage that has been widely available, was a deliberate act of violence at the doors of Old Parliament Health House, which have led to significant damage.”

However, after seeking advice from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Mr Morton said that he had learnt that there was agreement — given on the advice of the AFP — for a smoking ceremony to be held in the car park.

“That’s not what occurred,” he said. “I can’t work out why there would be agreement given to the lighting of fire by protesters on the grounds of Old Parliament House, but these are questions that will need to be answered.”

Mr Morton said that turning a peaceful protest into criminal activity “disrespects Australia and the democracy that we live in.”

The fire is then lit directly against the Old Parliament House's doors. Chairs are added. A protestor with an Aboriginal slogan is directly adjacent. This isn't a legitimate smoking ceremony at this point. It is arson.

If you recognise anyone in these photos, contact ACT police. pic.twitter.com/1vS7w8Yr9U

— Victorian Accountability Project (@VicAccountable) December 31, 2021

In one video, a protester can be seen throwing kindling into the fire as others stand around singing “stand up and be counted”. The fire is lit directly against the doors of the building and the flames are rising several feet into the air.

Painted handprints can also be seen on the walls of the building on either side of the entrance.

The director of the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, Daryl Karp, told The Australian: “I’ve certainly not seen a smoking ceremony of that type before.”

“It was pushed up right against the door. People added fuel to it.

“They deliberately covered the cameras … Why would you cover the cameras if your intention is a peaceful smoking ceremony?” she said.

An Australian Federal Police officer leaves the crime scene. Picture: Gary Ramage

Indigenous community leader Warren Mundine also told The Australian he had seen footage of the fire online, rejecting suggestions it was a smoking ceremony.

“If you believe that’s a smoking ceremony then you don’t want to go to their house and have a BBQ,” Mr Mundine said.

“I think the AFP need to look at these videos,” he said. “If they don’t start laying charges it makes a mockery of what this group is doing. Everyone has disowned them. Even the (tent) embassy.

“That is not a smoking ceremony. It looks to me a deliberately lit fire or they are incompetent.

“I didn’t know what the protest was about.”

In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, the AFP said the task force would use “world-leading forensics and technological capabilities to identify and locate those responsible.”

“Those who break the law will be arrested and charged,” it said. “ACT Policing and AFP’s Protective Specialist Command will increase their presence at the Old Parliament House Precinct over the coming weeks.”

Proof that the first Old Parliament House fire was no accident. https://t.co/os6GlacUDT
An image of people standing around a fire at the front of Old Parliament House posted by Bruce Shillingsworth with the caption "These Doors are Coming Down Either Way! #TakeOldParliment".

— vanilla (@stawberrygrl) December 31, 2021

The Australian understands that some suspects will be charged within days.

Ms Karp told The Australian it was “really unclear” who had been driving the protest, but that it appeared to be a diverse group of people who were using the hashtag #TakeOldParliament on social media.

“The Tent Embassy have put out a formal statement condemning the actions.

“There is no clear leader. They are not working through any recognised body … I’m not clear who is actually driving this particular protest at the moment.

‘This particular one has been ongoing for the last ten days. In the lead up to Christmas, we were closed on the 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th. They were protesting outside.”

An official statement made by the Aboriginal Test Embassy said that the actions of protesters in conducting a smoking ceremony was “done so without the knowledge, consent or mandate of the Embassy Council and Traditional Owners responsible for the regulation of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.”

‘The Aboriginal Tent Embassy does not condone the actions of protesters who occupied the steps of Old Parliament House. Although we support the concept of nonviolent direct action, we do not condone the destruction of public and private property.”

Labor frontbencher Mark Butler said the damage to Old Parliament House was “an outrageous attack on a centrepiece of Australia’s democracy” and condemned Greens senator Lidia Thorpe for her tweet appearing to back the protesters.

“It was an outrageous, disgusting level of support given to what appears to be a criminal act,” he said.

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten said the attack on Old Parliament House was “despicable” and that there was no cause which would benefit from “this wanton act of destruction’.