AUSTRALIA’S communists were set to lead protests in Sydney on Thursday to mark 235 years since Invasion Day when British forces claimed ownership of what is now known as Australia.

Each year, on January 26, Australians “celebrate” the claiming of the aboriginal land, which led to a long and brutal colonisation of the aboriginal people and their land.

In a statement the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) said that from “1788 onwards, aboriginal people suffered massacres, land theft, stolen children and widespread oppression and discrimination at the hands of colonial forces.”