Inside ‘Doom City’: The indigenous town that’s become a battlefield between warring Aboriginal clans – and there’s nothing police can do to stop the ‘fair fights’
- A mob of about 40 people gather around to watch what they call a ‘fair fight’
- Horrific footage emerged of members from different clans going head-to-head
- The men throw vicious punches at one another in front of the community
- Violence in Doomadgee is so bad that police have flown in five more officers
Shocking video footage has captured a feral street fight between men living in a small Aboriginal town.
The bare-knuckle fist fights, dubbed ‘fair fights’, are a means of settling differences between clans in Doomadgee, in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
But the violence has escalated in the township, dubbed ‘Doom City’, and police have flown in five extra officers to keep the peace.
It comes as a mob of 40 stormed a house and firebombed a bedroom on Monday night.
Footage of one ‘fair fight’ shows a mob gathering to watch two young men attack each other.
Members of separate clans fight it out in front of the community with one placing the other in a headlock
The men attack each other with bare fists as the crowd watches on
The barefooted men stand facing each other in a boxing stance before throwing punches in the bare-knuckle fist fight.
One man places the other in a headlock as his opponent struggles to break free.
‘We run this f**king town, not all you c**ts,’ a man could be heard saying.
‘Bash him, bash him,’ younger children shout, while older women urge them to ‘fair fight, fight fair’.
Elderly members attempt to to stop the fight but are ignored and are forced to watch on helplessly.
However, once the fight is over the clan members hug and shake hands.
Some elders watch on helplessly as they attempted to stop the ‘fair fight’ between separate clans
The fight comes amid escalating tensions in the town. On Monday night a mob of 40 people firebombed a house
Police are unsure where the violence comes from and want to help the community to resolve the issue
Mount Isa Police Acting Superintendent Rhys Newton said he was unsure of the reasoning behind the violence and wanted the issues resolved.
‘Street fighting and violence is no way to resolve conflict in remote communities,’ he told Courier Mail.
‘It is unclear exactly what is behind the rising tensions. We want to mediate any issues without anyone resorting to violence.’
Doomadgee Acting Mayor Jason Ned said the law isn’t tough enough to tackle the issue.
‘We’ve got bullsh*t laws that let off young criminals with a lollipop and handshake,’ he told the publication.
‘Back in the 1980s, tribal elders could make sure the young ones respect people. Now there’s no respect.’
However, Aboriginal leaders said the scale was ‘nothing like’ the civil unrest in Aurukun, in Cape York, which has seen hundreds of people displaced.