Unravelling the Black Wednesday Riots: Precarious Masculinity and Civil Unrest in Port Moresby

Abstract

On 10 January 2024, residents of Port Moresby and other major centres in Papua New Guinea (PNG) witnessed civil disobedience, mostly carried out by men, expressed through looting, vandalism and arson targeting commercial property, in what is now referred to by locals as Black Wednesday. These events, starting with opportunists taking advantage of a police protest over a pay cut, sparked riots across the country. The government of PNG swiftly disseminated messages on social media refuting claims of a new tax levied on the police force, attributing the discrepancy in pay to a computer ‘glitch’. A 14-day state of emergency was declared, accompanied by the suspension of numerous senior government officials. The violence resulted in the loss of more than 20 lives, the displacement of hundreds of jobs, and adverse impacts on businesses and farmers. Although women participated in the riots, they were greatly outnumbered by men. This In Brief explores challenges to the manifestations of masculinity when urban men in particular encounter precarious situations such as those observed during the events of the Black Wednesday riots in Port Moresby.