On Tuesday, January 24, 1984, just two days after the Glenelg riots, thieves broke into the explosives magazine of Quarry’s Industries ltd at Hillbank, in Adelaide’s northern suburbs. Using oxy-acetylene equipment, they cut through the hinges and padlocks on the building between 5pm and 8pm that evening. The thieves stole four cases of gelignite, around 64 sticks of the volatile explosive, and detonators. Elizabeth CIB attended the scene and found a handwritten note which read, "Thank you, now watch out cops at Glenelg." A direct threat to the police station and star force officers that attended the riots on January 22nd.[1]
On January 22, 1984, bands, Pseudo Echo and Sandy and the
Sunsets were scheduled to play at Colley Reserve, Glenelg. It was a hot day,
15000 people descended on the reserve for the free concert sponsored by
radio station SA: FM.
The crows were reasonably
well-behaved until, as reported in the Canberra Times, the police started
making arrests. At around 6pm, the mood in the crowd changed and chants of “Kill
the pigs” and “kill the coppers” began as the restless crowd surged towards the
police.[1]
The police reported
that 200 or so people began charging the police at Colley Reserve, throwing beer bottles at them, and screaming abuse. Cars were damaged in a side street,
and a group of police officers were besieged, locked inside the Glenelg police
station.[2] A local senior
citizens centre had 23 windows smashed. Two police officers were treated for
head wounds. Sixty-three people were charged with offences ranging from drunkenness
and assault to malicious damage.
The New South Wales newspaper Tribune, reported on the riot,
interviewing eyewitnesses to the event. One witness, Stephanie Columbus stated about
the riots, “The first thing to emphasise is that no trouble occurred until the
concert was finished, and most of the 15, 000 people had left the area. The
concert was very relaxed. It is true that lots of booze was being drunk.”[3]
Columbus and another witness, Carol Jacobson claimed that a few young men had
been having an ice fight, throwing ice and water at each other. Some hit a police
officer, who, with three other officers, grabbed one of the men and slammed his
head into the bonnet of a car four times in front of the crowd. This claimed
the witnesses were the trigger for the riot. The crowd started pelting the offending
officers with bottles. The police arrested another young man, again being brutal
in the arrest, and sending the crowd into a further uproar.
Stephanie then
claimed that,
From then on it was a situation of the police imposing their power and authority at will. There could be no talking to
them, to them everybody was the
enemy.
For
instance, a police officer and his
dog passed by an onlooker who seemed
to unthinkingly stroke the dog.
The officer immediately kicked him
in the shins and gave him a karate
chop to the throat. When I
protested about someone else
being forced to move on, a policeman
said: 'You shut up, slut, or
you'll be arrested next.[4]
It is claimed that
during the riot, police officers removed their numbers so no reports of police
violence could be claimed against them. It is also claimed that police entirely
surrounded the reserve so people could not leave, adding further fire to the rioter’s
cause.
A few days after the riot, the State Government became
involved, putting a political spin on the event, and blaming the riot on unemployed
people. Interestingly, at the time of the riot, the Police Association
President was vocal about a review of the Police Offences Act which could lead
to a weakening of police powers to move on disorderly youths.
In the weeks after the riot T-shirts with the slogan ‘Come
to Glenelg…it’s a riot’ began to be seen around Glenelg.
This is not the end of this story…. next week, a chilling
conclusion to the Glenelg Riots!
