Tens of thousands of people gathered around the country to mark 2024’s Invasion Day, which is still known as the Australia Day public holiday. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples walked side by side with allies, holding space for mourning, celebrating culture, and calling on the Australian government to change — or abolish — the date. Here, we’ve gathered some of the most powerful moments from Invasion Day rallies, protests and events from around the country
Please note this story contains images and names of Indigenous people who have died.
Dawn Ceremonies Begin A Day Of Mourning
In Sydney, a moving dawn service began a collective day of mourning and reflection, with a display that saw Indigenous historical figures projected onto the side of the Sydney Opera House at first light.
In Melbourne, people gathered on the lawn by Parliament House for a smoking ceremony. However, a speaker at the Invasion Day rally later revealed the smoking ceremony was shut down when sprinklers came on.
“I don’t want to say it was deliberate, but I wouldn’t put it past them,” they said.
At a dawn smoking ceremony in Ballarat, Koorie Engagement Action Group member and Narungga woman Sarah Jane Hall said the event was about Indigenous and non-Indigenous people coming together to stand in solidarity.
“It is a time to learn about the history of massacres and heartache in Australia,” she said.
“But it is a time of reflection, a time of healing. It is a beautiful way for people to come together, a tangible way to practice culture in unity with Indigenous and non-Indigenous people coming together.”
Tanya Day’s Daughter Speaks In Melbourne
Yorta Yorta woman Tanya Day‘s daughter Apryl Day addressed thousands of people from the steps of parliament in Melbourne. Her mother died in 2017 from an injury sustained in a police cell after she was arrested for being drunk on a train.
“That same night those cops picked up a drunk white woman, drove her home safely and didn’t even fine her,” she told the crowd, who collectively chanted “shame” in response.
“My family was successful in the decriminalisation of public drunkenness. And what’s more, it is the only time we have achieved a change without giving the police more powers.”
Another Melbourne speaker also thanked the protestors who cut down a statue of Captain Cook in St Kilda earlier this week, to thunderous applause. The statue was a recurring and popular theme around the country this year, after the controversial statue was cut down at the ankles from a podium.
The Captain Cook Statue Hat Stole The Day
On the theme of the Captain Cook statue, this hat definitely takes the cake as the best piece of clothing at any rally this year.
David Dungay Jr’s Nephew Speaks Out About His Death In Custody
In Sydney, thousands battled the scorching heat to gather at Belmore Park in the city’s centre, before marching down to Victoria Park.
Speakers addressed challenging but powerful topics, including Aboriginal deaths in custody and child removal policies. The nephew of David Dungay Jr, a 26-year-old Dunghutti man who died in custody in 2015, spoke of the family’s ongoing pain
“He had so much planned for his future, but that was taken away from us,” Paul Silva said.
“As Indigenous people we face racism on a daily basis, but today we can feel the intergenerational trauma.”
Speakers got emotional as they talked about the generations of harm and pain that continues to exist to this day. However, they also spoke of a dream of unity and a country where Aboriginal cultures are embraced and encouraged. The protests proved to be a much about looking towards the future as they were about remembering the past.
Australians Stand With Palestine
A significant feature of events all across Australia this year was that they stood in solidarity with Palestine. At all rallies and events, the two issues were tightly interlocked, with speakers and attendees recognising the parallels between the two countries. In Brisbane, people could be seen holding signs depicting the Aboriginal flag next to the Palestinian flag and chanting “free free Palestine”, and in Sydney people spoke of the similarities.
“As a Palestinian, this is a shared struggle,” a speaker identified as Ahmed said.
“The sovereignty, ownership and caretaking of these lands and waterways were never ceded. It always was, always will be Aboriginal land, much like Palestine always was and always will be Palestinian land from the Jordanian River to the Mediterranean sea.”
Vanessa Turnbull Roberts Makes A Powerful Call To Action On Aboriginal Children * Still * Being Stolen
The ongoing state kidnapping of Aboriginal children was a strong and harrowing topic addressed at rallies across Australia this morning. In Melbourne, people spoke of more children being taken from their parents than in the Stolen Generations, and of parents who were told by the government that they would never get their own children back. In Sydney, lawyer and Bundjalung woman Vanessa Turnbull Roberts spoke on these sentiments, saying that Indigenous children were “being silenced”.
“We need to bring family policy on the agenda,” she said.
“We need to recognise that children and young people (are suffering), their families and cousins and community impacted by things like the Department of Education, like things like the local community worker.
“So I’ll ask you to just do this in your practice, whether you are in the professional kidnapping industry or not, ask yourself what are you doing to not make the state stronger? What are you doing to make your community stronger? Do not make the state stronger, make your community stronger.”
The overall message from the protests today, repeated by speakers across Australia, was this: every day is Invasion Day, not just January 26, and the fight for rights and freedom is a challenge that must be faced every single day of the year.
The post The Most Powerful Moments From Invasion Day Rallies Around The Country appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
