Amid intensifying debate over the meaning of Australia Day, thousands of Australians have gathered to protest against the holiday, which commemorates the arrival of British colonists in 1788 and has triggered growing controversy.
Protesters gathered at Invasion Day rallies in Sydney, Melbourne, and other major cities across Australia on Friday, as reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Once a time for barbecues and beach outings to mark the end of the summer holidays, the holiday on January 26 has sparked discussions about its significance, as it marks the day when a fleet of 11 British ships transporting convicts arrived in present-day Sydney in 1788.
Indigenous people refer to it as Invasion Day or Survival Day, highlighting that it symbolizes the start of an era of discrimination and dispossession of Indigenous peoples without the negotiation of a treaty. This puts Australia out of line with other countries like the United States, Canada, and New Zealand, which have treaties with their Indigenous populations.
On the eve of this year’s holiday, protesters damaged two monuments from the country’s colonial past in Melbourne, which is named after a former British prime minister.
A statue of Captain James Cook, who mapped the coast around Sydney in the 18th century and claimed the territory for Britain, was vandalized, and a monument to Queen Victoria was defaced with red paint.
Victoria state premier Jacinta Allan condemned the vandalism, stating, “This sort of vandalism has no place in our community.”
At the Melbourne rally, organizer Tarneen Onus Browne expressed the belief that the holiday should be abolished. Browne, representing the Warriors of Aboriginal Resistance, noted, “We believe that there is no day in the calendar that massacres and violence didn’t happen. That’s what we’ve been coming out every year to say, and we also want to dispel the myth of this colony and the discovery of it.”
Hundreds of people also attended dawn services to mark January 26. Jason Briggs, who participated in a mourning reflection ceremony in Melbourne, explained, “Basically if you break it down, it means peace, unity and coming together, and acknowledging the past so we can move forward.”
Despite polls indicating a majority of Australians wishing to retain the public holiday and its name, there is a divide, often along political lines, regarding changing the date.
Cricket captain Pat Cummins, a prominent sports figure, proposed finding a more inclusive date for the celebration of Australia. He expressed his love for the country, stating, “We should have an Australia Day, but we can probably find a more appropriate day to celebrate it.”
Last October, Australians rejected changes to the 1901 constitution that would have acknowledged the country’s first inhabitants and established an Indigenous consultative body known as the Voice to Parliament.
Indigenous people, comprising 3.8 percent of Australia’s population, face significant challenges, including poor health and education outcomes, and high imprisonment rates, making them one of the most marginalized groups in the country.
