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Protests against British colonisation of Australia on ‘Invasion Day’
People attend an Indigenous Australians protest during Australia Day in Sydney, January 26, 2024

THOUSANDS of Australians demonstrated on the anniversary of Britain’s colonisation of their country today, with large crowds urging that Australia Day be moved and replaced by a day of mourning on the holiday many label “Invasion Day.”

The holiday marks the arrival of 11 British ships carrying convicts at Port Jackson in present-day Sydney on January 26 1788. 

Many activists say the day marked the beginning of a sustained period of discrimination and expulsion of Indigenous people from their land without a treaty.

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