After millions marched in solidarity with women’s rights, thousands more marched on Jan. 26 in solidarity with Australian Aborigines.
Jan. 26, known as Australia Day to natives, celebrates the ‘founding’ of Australia by white settlers. Now, in the midst of human rights movements, thousands of Australians marched to demand Australia Day has a new date.
The protestors claim the date does not celebrate the arrival of Australia’s founding, but rather the arrival of Aborigine injustice. Tens of thousands of people protested in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. Observers noted many of the marchers wore the colors of the aboriginal flag — black, yellow, and red — in support of the movement.
Protestor Neville Scarlett attended the march to support Aborigines.
“I’m here to commemorate all the aboriginal people who were murdered during the first stage of settlement,” he said.
While the British colonized Australia in 1788, many of the Aborigines have ancestry in the country dating back 50,000 years. The Aboriginal Heritage Office in Australia estimates more than 75,000 natives populated the country prior to the British invasion. The Australian government did not consider Aborigines as citizens until 1967.
Despite a large number of protestors, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he does not plan on changing the commemorative day.
“Everyone is entitled to a point of view,” he said. “But I think most Australians accept Jan. 26 as Australia Day.”
Many Australian citizens feel Aborigines have far few rights, and controversy over the subject has recently escalated. With approximately 700,000 native islanders and 23 million citizens overall, the Aboriginal group still faces much legal discrimination. Statistically, the group’s life expectancy is 10 years younger than other Australians. They also make up 27 percent of the country’s prison population.
Ken Canning, a member of the Indigenous Social Justice Association, told marchers “Australians have woken up.” He went on that citizens are realize that Australia Day is a day of mourning for the natives.
“That is not something to celebrate. That is not a day to throw shrimp on the barbie,” he said. “It was an invasion, and it’s still going on today.”
Many protestors and Aborigines claim that, instead of constitutional recognition, the group would prefer a treaty with the government. They claim the government based the constitution upon racial supremacy and a treaty better benefits everyone in the country.
