Australia Commemoration of colonization: Australia Day causes protests
The controversial national holiday "Australia Day" has once again triggered nationwide protests by indigenous people and activists Down Under. According to media reports, tens of thousands of people gathered in cities including Sydney, Melbourne and the capital Canberra.
26.01.2025, 10:33
SDA
The day commemorates the arrival of the first British fleet in Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788, which marked the beginning of the colonization of the country. The period that followed was characterized by atrocities and the oppression of the indigenous population, which is why the day is known as "Invasion Day" or "Survival Day".
Aboriginal and Palestinian flags
According to the AAP news agency, around 15,000 people gathered in the center of 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 grief also took place in Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and other cities. Many white Australians, however, celebrated the holiday with family and friends at barbecues or on the beach.
Indigenous people are still disadvantaged today
The day marks the beginning of genocide and dispossession in Australia, according to the organization Antar, which campaigns for the rights of indigenous people. "January 26 is not a day to celebrate," it said. Instead, this day should be a day of respect for the resistance of the Aborgines in the face of systematic and ongoing injustice.
The organization also emphasized that colonization continues in many respects to this day. According to government figures, the number of indigenous Australians is estimated at around 980,000, who are often disadvantaged in comparison 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 proposals. These include changing the date - preferably to a day that symbolically reflects the diversity of the Australian population. Others would like to see the national holiday abolished completely.
For many decades, Aboriginal children were taken away from their parents and had to grow up in homes or with white families. Tens of thousands of girls and boys were affected, and in Australia they are referred to as the "Stolen Generation". It was not until 2008 that the then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued an official apology for the suffering of the Aborigines, asking for forgiveness for the injustice suffered.
