At Forrest Place in Boorloo (Perth), on what this country officially calls Australia Day, about 2500 people gathered to mark Invasion Day.

They listened to speakers, held banners and, for a few hours, took up civic space in the way protest is meant to: Visibly, peacefully, together.

Then, from a balcony above, an object arced through the air and landed near the stage. Police allege it was a homemade improvised explosive device containing nails, ball bearings and chemicals, later described as a fragmentation‑style device with the potential to cause serious harm or death.

It did not detonate; it landed. The crowd was evacuated.

Within hours, a 31‑year‑old man was arrested and charged with offences including intent to harm and possession of explosives.

What happened next stayed with our host Daniel James – and he decided to write about it. So in this special episode, we bring you his essay on the Perth pipe bomb – and the silence that followed.

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