By melanie burton

Melbourne (Reuters) – Historic statues were vandalized in Melbourne on Australia Day on Sunday in support of aboriginal groups who said the date was not a happy one.

A statue of Colonist John Batman, a founder of the country’s second largest city and who was involved in the killing of Australian soldiers in World War One has been covered in red paint and the words “Back to the land”, according to in police and local media reports.

Australia’s National Day on January 26 is a morning date for many native Australians because it marks the day Captain James Cook and the beginning of the British colonization of Sydney.

Protesters also carried Palestinian flags, and speakers spoke about the similarities between the Aboriginal and Palestinian experiences.

“Invasion day. It’s just about the survival of our people. We’re still here. We ain’t going nowhere. Like you know, you can try to assimilate all you want, but we’re still here,” Indigenous Australian Amanda SUNCH said.

In Sydney, the artwork of the Wiradjuri-Biripi Artist James P. Simon is expected to sail the opera (Nasdaq 🙂 Home to a number of dawn events around the country.

Police estimated 15,000 people took part in protests and music events in Sydney throughout the day.

In the Central Business District District Distration, the police estimated about 25,000 people took to the streets.

Speakers at the protests spoke about issues important to Aboriginal Australians, including the police’s treatment of women, lost and murdered abortion rights, and the push to establish indigenous people.

Efforts by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to establish a constitutional voice for Aboriginal people in Parliament were defeated in the 2023 referendum.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton said in a social media post that Australians “shouldn’t be afraid to celebrate” their country on Australia Day.

Dutton said the country should be united under one flag, and he will take the Aboriginal and Torres flags to become a prime minister in an election that should take place in mid-May.