‘Invasion Day’: protesters call for the abolition of Australia Day Tens of thousands of people took to the streets on Australia Day on Friday to protest against what they see […]

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets on Australia Day on Friday to protest against what they see as a celebration of the start of white colonisation.

An estimated 60,000 people – both indigenous and non-indigenous – joined a demonstration in Melbourne, the country’s second largest city, exceeding the number at the official Australia Day parade.

Holding banners reading ‘Australia Day equals Invasion Day’ they marched on Parliament House chanting: “Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.” They were calling for Australia’s national day to be abolished or the date to be changed.

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Australia Day – held annually on January 26 – marks the anniversary of when Captain Arthur Phillip, commander of the First Fleet of 11 British ships, arrived at Sydney Cove in 1788, signalling the birth of the British colony. But for many indigenous Australians the date signifies the loss of land and rights and the start of scores of massacres throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

One of the organisers, Ken Canning, of the Fighting In Resistance Equally activist group, said he hoped the rallies would increase public awareness.

“It’s good that a lot of non-Aboriginal people come as they are realising the truth of history. This is the day… when Aboriginal people were invaded by the British.

‘True history’

“If we can get people to realise the history of the beginning of this country, we may just have a chance to tell them the true history of the last 230 years.”

Smaller marches were held in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Darwin.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull rejected the idea of date change. Talking to reporters, he said: “The overwhelming majority of Australians are celebrating Australia Day like we are all here today.”

He also ruled out a change of flag, saying: “That’s the one they have on their backpacks when they are travelling overseas, that’s the flag that our soldiers have on their shoulder patches, that is our flag. I think the Australian flag will be flying over Parliament House long after all of us have shuffled off the stage of history.”