Controversial holiday: Commemoration of colonization: Australia Day causes protests

The controversial national holiday “Australia Day” has once again sparked nationwide protests by indigenous people and activists Down Under. According to media reports, tens of thousands of people gathered in the cities of Sydney, Melbourne and the capital Canberra, among others.

The country commemorates the arrival of the first British fleet in Sydney Cove on January 26, 1788. It was the start of the colonization of the country. The period that followed was marked by atrocities and the oppression of the indigenous population, which is why the day is referred to as “Invasion Day” or “Survival Day”.

Aboriginal and Palestine flags

According to the AAP news agency, around 15,000 people gathered in central Sydney, many of them carrying the Aboriginal flag – a yellow sun against a black and red background. Pro-Palestinian activists also joined the protests.

Rallies and expressions of mourning also took place in Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and other cities. Many white Australians, however, celebrated the holiday with family and friends at a barbecue or on the beach.

Indigenous people are still disadvantaged today

The day marks the beginning of genocide and dispossession in Australia, said the organization Antar, which campaigns for the rights of indigenous people. “January 26th is not a day for celebration,” it said. Instead, this day should pay respect to Aboriginal resistance in the face of systematic and persistent injustice.

In many respects, colonization continues to this day, the organization emphasized. According to government figures, the number of Indigenous Australians is estimated at around 980,000, who are disadvantaged in many ways compared to the remaining 26 million Australians. It was only at the end of 2023 that a clear majority of Australians voted against giving indigenous people a greater political say in a historic referendum.

What are the opponents of “Australia Day” demanding?

There are various suggestions. This includes changing the date – if possible to a day that symbolically reflects the diversity of the Australian population. Others would like to see the national holiday completely abolished.

For many decades, Aboriginal children were taken from their parents and had to grow up in homes or with white families. Tens of thousands of girls and boys were affected; in Australia they are known as the “Stolen Generation”. There was only an official apology for the suffering of the indigenous people in 2008 by the then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who asked for forgiveness for the injustice suffered.