Aboriginal Journalist Says Police "Intimidated" Him

A journalist for Australia's NITV claims he was intimidated by Federal Police after filming a protest.

NITV

National Indigenous Television's (NITV), Political Reporter Myles Morgan claims he was intimidated and harassed by Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers in Canberra last weekend.

Mr Morgan was filming Anzac Day events when a group of Indigenous people, marching to remember Aboriginal people who died in what has become known as the 'Frontier Wars', got into a heated exchange with police.

Eleanor Gilbert / Via NITV

Tensions flared between protestors and police. At one stage a senior AFP officer pulled out a taser and aimed it at an Aboriginal protestor.

Shortly after the incident, three AFP officers asked Mr Morgan for his footage. The journalist refused, but agreed to hand over footage if requested at a later stage.

An AFP officer called into question the journalist's use of Commonwealth assets, due to NITV being funded by the Federal Government, accusing Mr Morgan of filming for personal reasons.

"Why are you shaking Myles?" – AFP Sergeant

Mr Morgan told a senior officer that he was being verbally intimidated into handing over the footage. The officer responded by asking: "Why are you shaking Myles?"

NITV Journalist Myles Morgan

In the video Mr Morgan tells the Sergeant, "The Australian taxpayer pays us to tell the stories of Indigenous Australia."

The Sergeant retorts, "No, the Australian taxpayer pays you to create a fair and equitable coverage of events."

"They're supposed to be professionals and I definitely think the emotions got the better of them on the day," Mr Morgan told BuzzFeed News: "it was unbecoming of a police officer."

A spokesperson for the AFP told BuzzFeed News the incident is being investigated internally.

NITV has lodged a formal complaint and is requesting an apology from the AFP.

Footage from the protest.

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