Huge turnouts for Invasion Day rallies
THOUSANDS of protesters gathered in capital cities around Australia for the annual Invasion Day marches yesterday.
In Canberra, hundreds gathered at the entrance of Parliament House to call for an Aboriginal treaty.
“Always was, always will be Aboriginal land,” they yelled after walking from the Aboriginal tent embassy yesterday afternoon.
“What do we want? Treaty. What have we got? F*** all,” they chanted as they marched up the hill from the tent embassy.
They then sat outside the front doors of the building for an hour as a line of police formed a guard blocking the entrance.
About 3000 people gathered at Melbourne’s Parliament House, with one of the protesters saying celebrating Australia Day on January 26 is like celebrating September 11.
Thousands marched through Sydney labelling the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 as a “day of killing” rather than the birth of a nation.
“It is a national disgrace to have a holiday on Australia Day – a day which marked the beginning of genocide”, organiser Dave Bell told the crowd.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people gathered outside Brisbane’s Parliament House, with protesters being urged to take their fight for recognition to next year’s Commonwealth Games.
An elder by the name of Uncle Lionel called on the community to unite and protest the upcoming 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, claiming communities in the area had been “bought off”.