Invasion Day 2024, Another Year in the Colony
Unbowed and staunch, a crowd of tens of thousands of people gathered on Gadigal land to demand sovereignty, justice and equality after 236 years of dispossession and genocide. First Nations speakers gave account of the contemporary murders in custody, vast incarceration, child welfare kidnapping and suicide rates of First Nations people.
By way of solidarity they welcomed first nation speakers from Palestine, who paralleled the fight against colonialism, dispossession and genocide.
The speakers reminded us that despite Whitlam’s handfull of sand, Rudd’s Apology and Keiko Mabo’s land rights victory; the fight for real land rights and sovereignty goes on across the continent.
As the multinational fossil fuel corporations defile the land and the multinational agricultural companies poison the waters. The number of First Nations children stolen by “child welfare” reaches record heights 22,328 (2023) Then, there is prison, 41,000 (2023) First Nations people in gaol- (33% of Australia’s prison population for 3% of the total population of Australia). Then there’s murder in custody by police and prison guards with 31 deaths (2023).
Speakers recounted racism in the health system where family members were triaged as black and unworthy and left to die untreated and without respect in hospitals and clinics.
The palpable anger and the eternal optimism for liberation present on these occasions provides for many people a refreshing change from the bland, parliamentary, do nothing politics served up in the media.
The confected “patriotism” served up as Australia Day (sic) with lavish funding from all governments is losing popular support. History and the contemporary truth is revealed and many are no longer playing along.
Historian Humphrey McQueen presents a critical view of the history of so called Australia Day in the link below.
