MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA) – Five people were detained in Sydney in largely peaceful Australia Day protests on Tuesday, as thousands defied concerns about public health and rallied across the nation against the mistreatment of the Indigenous people.
The January 26 public holiday marks the date when the British fleet made their sail into Sydney Harbour in 1788 to establish a penal colony, by considering the land as unoccupied in spite of witnessing settlements.
However, for many Indigenous Australians, whose origin on the continent can be traced back to 50,000 years, it is “Invasion Day”.
Lizzie Jarrett, an Indigenous Australian protest organiser in Sydney, said, “Until they abolish Australia Day then maybe Invasion Day will be a bit quieter.”
“At this moment, until this nation celebrates genocide, we will not be silent, we will not stop and we will keep coming.”
According to estimates by the New South Wales police, around 2,000-3,000 people gathered in Sydney, The handful of arrests were made for violating public conduct rules and having a clash with the police.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing said at a televised press conference, “With the exception of the few, they were well-behaved.”
The police and the organisers reached a last minute agreement to divide the large crowd, with social distancing in place, of fewer than 500 people within a Sydney park, while the planned march was withdrawn.
In Melbourne, television footage showed several thousand people marching through the city centre, with T-shirts having the imprint of Aboriginal flag, while organisers tried to make sure social distancing rules were followed. In Adelaide, an estimated 4,000 people gathered at a sit-down protest.
Australia has had just below 28,800 cases and 909 deaths, mostly in Victoria state.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia Day was an indicator of how far the country has come after the arrival of First Fleet.
Morrison said at an official ceremony in Canberra, “There is no escaping or cancelling this fact. For better and worse, it was the moment where the journey to our modern nation began.”
“We have risen above our brutal beginnings.”