Arrernte traditional owners and approximately 300 protesters gathered on Monday, July 20th, 2026, at the gates of Pine Gap, a secretive joint Australian-US defence facility located in Alice Springs, Central Australia. The demonstrators called for the closure of the base and the return of their land, marking the largest protest at the site since 1987.

Pine Gap is known for gathering intelligence via a global network of surveillance satellites and has long been controversial due to its involvement in US military operations. Protesters included anti-war, pro-Palestinian, and land rights activists, many of whom traveled from across Australia to participate.

New South Wales Greens senator David Shoebridge expressed concern that Pine Gap operates as a "foreign military base set up for the interests of a foreign military," which he believes is "lurching towards right wing politics, not respecting international law." He stated, "We're letting them use our land, this key real estate, I think [to] commit some of the worst atrocities we've seen."

Arrernte traditional owners emphasized that the land "always was, always will be Aboriginal land." The protest was heavily policed, with NT Police establishing checkpoints several kilometers away and blocking access within 200 meters of the base's high-security gates.

This rally, organized by a coalition of activists, is the most significant demonstration at Pine Gap since over 1,000 people marched there in 1987.

Sources

ABC Australia News (Emma Masters, July 20, 2026)