Up to 50,000 people marched on Gadigal country, Sydney to mark 230 years of British colonialism in Australia.
Mainstream media outlets quoted attendance levels anywhere from just 1,000 to only 3,000 people. Clearly the numbers were overwhelmingly in excess of these figures, as the images prove. Others sources quoted numbers beyond 50,000. An estimated 80,000 people marched in Melbourne, while rallies in other centres and regional areas across the country were also held. Public sentiment is slowly swinging towards a more critical understanding of Australia Day as protest numbers have dramatically increased each year in recent times.
Many Aboriginal people see the 26th of January, otherwise known as ‘Australia Day,’ as the start of centuries of genocide, dispossession and ongoing discrimination.
The rally marched from Hyde Park South in the CBD to Yabun in Victoria Park, Glebe. The protest was organised by FIRE (Fighting In Resistance Equally) with support from hundreds of other community groups and thousands of individuals.
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