Commemoration of colonization
“Australia Day”: Controversial holiday causes protests
Updated on 01/26/2026 – 05:50 amReading time: 2 minutes
The debate about the national holiday has long divided Australia: The country commemorates the colonization of the country with “Australia Day”. Indigenous people speak of “Invasion Day”. What are they demanding?
The controversial national holiday “Australia Day” has sparked protests by indigenous people and activists in many Australian cities. According to media reports, tens of thousands of people gathered in the cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the capital Canberra, among others, despite the great summer heat. People also took to the streets in Hobart on the island of Tasmania.
On this day, the country commemorates the arrival of the first British fleet in Sydney Cove on January 26, 1788. It was the start of colonization – which was subsequently characterized by atrocities and the oppression of the indigenous population. Critics therefore refer to the holiday as “Invasion Day” or “Survival Day”.
Many demonstrators carried the Aboriginal flag – a yellow sun against a black and red background. Signs read, among other things, “This is not a day for celebration” and “This has been and always will be Aboriginal land.” However, there were also smaller counter-demonstrations in which participants waved the Australian flag. Traditionally, many Australians celebrate the holiday with family and friends at a barbecue or on the beach.
According to government figures, the number of Indigenous Australians is estimated at around one million, who are disadvantaged in many ways compared to the remaining 26 million Australians. It was only at the end of 2023 that a clear majority of Australians voted against giving indigenous people a greater political say in a historic referendum.
The organization Antar, which advocates for the rights of indigenous peoples, wrote on its website that “Survival Day” should above all be about paying respect to the resistance of the indigenous population in the face of systematic and ongoing injustice and denial of their rights.
