Thousands attend ‘Invasion Day’ rallies across Australia
January 26 marks the anniversary of the day in 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip, commanding the British First Fleet, hoisted the Union Jack at Sydney Cove.
Thousands of people took to the streets across Australia on Monday to attend "Invasion Day" rallies, demanding the federal government abolish or change the date of Australia Day, local media reported.
Rallies were held in the capital Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne, Darwin and other cities, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
January 26 marks the anniversary of the day in 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip, commanding the British First Fleet, hoisted the Union Flag, commonly called the Union Jack, at Sydney Cove.
But indigenous communities refer to the date as “Invasion Day,” “Survival Day,” or the “Day of Mourning.”
Hundreds of Invasion Day demonstrators protested outside Parliament House in Canberra as part of their planned rally.
They surrounded a much smaller group of a few dozen "March for Australia" demonstrators before police moved in to create a barrier between the two groups.
In Sydney, crowds gathered at Victoria Park on Gadigal land for the Yabun festival, described by organisers as one of the most significant First Nations gatherings on the national calendar.
More than 1,000 people attended a dawn mourning service at Camp Sovereignty in Melbourne.
Thousands also gathered on the steps of parliament in Melbourne for an Invasion Day rally.
In Adelaide, thousands of protesters gathered in the searing heat to attend the annual Survival Day rally.
Speakers called for January 26 to be marked as a Day of Mourning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, rather than a national celebration.