Thousands of protesters across the country took to the streets this Invasion Day — despite the sweltering heat — and their rage and frustration was palpable in the signs they brought with them.
January 26 is the day the First Fleet landed in Port Jackson, NSW. For many Indigenous folks, it mark the Day of Mourning, or Invasion Day. From this day onwards, the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people would never be the same.
From Naarm to Boorloo to Gadigal Country, Aboriginal folks and their allies in solidarity spoke about the horrors colonisation has wrought onto Country, its people and culture, and the climate, too.
The sentiment this year was angry, frustrated, both fired and fed up — and you could see this in the signage people brought with them this year, too.
Speakers called for Australia Day to be abolished rather than just changed. In Sydney, protesters chanted “Fuck Australia Day” and “Australia Day is dead”. Signs during the march displayed the same sentiment, with protesters calling into question why a day with such heinous significance should be celebrated.
A definite theme throughout this years’ protests was also solidarity with Palestine.
Palestinians spoke at the protests about their shared struggle with First Nations people in so-called Australia, and the crowds were filled with Palestinian flags and signs calling for liberation “from Gagidal to Gaza, from Wirajduri to the West Bank.”
A Palestinian man from Gaza named Ahmed told the crowd at the Sydney protest that his people understood colonisation all too well.
“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,” he said.
“I hope you don’t mind me borrowing that phrase as it rings so true for all Indigenous peoples across the globe.”
Ahmed said the “parallels” between what his people have endured and colonisation in Australia were “striking”.
“From your Invasion Day to our Nakba. We were united in this struggle. We are one in the face of tyranny of colonisation.”
Other Invasion Day signs from the rallies had similar sentiments of returning land back to their Traditional Owners. Here’s a few of our favourites.
“Get in bitch, we’re giving land back” is one of the greats.
Also, while this isn’t technically a sign, this person’s hat commemorating the toppling of a Captain Cook statue in St Kilda deserves a shout out.
If you didn’t make it to any Invasion Day rallies but would still like to attend events to reflect on what the day means and represents, some cities will still have events and festivals on in the evening.
If you can’t attend those either, there are other ways to express your allyship or show up for your First Nations mates.
Remember, sovereignty of the land we are on was never ceded. Many of us who are settlers only get to live and work here because of the genocide that displaced the First People. It’s something many of us still need to reckon with.
Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.
