A series of riots involving some members of the Japanese and Indonesian (mainly from Kupang in Timor) communities took place in Broome, a town in northern Western Australia in December 1920.
At the time of the riots, Broome—a town of around 5,000 people—had an ethnically diverse population with whites (European Australians), a minority of 900.
The Japanese had attained a high position in the social ladder in Broome, and often used this against the Koepanger population who were generally not as fortunate.
While the European population were celebrating Christmas, tension spread, and more violence occurred, eventually resulting in a death.
The police tried to quell the disturbances, eventually having to fire warning shots against crowds of up to 400 Japanese, some of whom were armed with guns.