Activists celebrate Queen’s death on National Day of Mourning

As Australia mourns the Queen on a specially appointed public holiday, pro-republic protesters took to the streets of Sydney to chant slurs and call for an end to the monarchy.

Aboriginal activists sang songs celebrating the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II and declared “I’m glad the b*tch is dead” in Sydney Thursday, less than two hours after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid affectionate tribute to the deceased monarch on the country’s National Day of Mourning.

The demonstrators, numbering several hundred, gathered on the steps of Town Hall to protest the royal family and call for an Australian republic, Indigenous sovereignty, a treaty with Aboriginal Australians, and reparations for past wrongs.

Under the watchful eye of regular and mounted police as well as a Polair helicopter, speakers listed demands and grievances against British monarchs going back to Queen Victoria.

Many of the speeches were heavily laced with profanity and declarations such as “f*ck the royal family.”

One speaker enthusiastically sang, “If you’re happy that she’s dead, clap your hands!”

Protesters at the Abolish the Monarchy

protest at Town Hall on Thursday. Picture: Nikki Short

Signs reading “Sovereignty never ceded” and “It’s Aboriginal land” were seen throughout the crowd.

Another sign, making reference to the German ancestry of the British royal family, read “No more inbred colonising German tax parasites – Republic now!”

Assorted radical political groups and unions were also in attendance.

Members of the Socialist Alternative handed out copies of their newspaper, Red Flag, while others present were seen wearing Teachers’ Federation T-shirts.

A small group of counter-protesters who came to show their support for the Queen and the monarchy were asked to move by police who said they feared inflaming a “tense situation”.

Dana Pham, 34, a self-described constitutional monarchist whose parents emigrated as refugees from Vietnam, stood to one side holding a portrait of the late Queen.

Pro-monarchy demonstrators Dana Pham (centre) and Kim Jacobs (right) brave the crowd of activists at Sydney’s Town Hall Thursday.

“I like everyone else want to see the gap closed,” she said.

“Obviously there are a lot of issues affecting Aboriginal communities, but … the twisting of history does nobody any favours,” she said.

“My parents came to a constitutional monarchy like Australia after coming as refugees so they could enjoy a range of freedoms and liberties that the Queen stood for.”

Kim Jacobs, 64, said, “The Queen stood for a light gentle kindness and I can’t see why we would want to have a president and a republic and another politician as head of state.

Elsewhere in Sydney, a mural of the late Queen executed by street artist Stuart Sale was vandalised in Marrickville Wednesday night and painted over in the colours of the Aboriginal flag.

Activists protested in other cities as well.

First Nations protesters burn the British flag during an anti-monarchy rally in central Brisbane. Picture: Dan Peled

In Brisbane, protesters set fire to British and Australian flags.

Online, footage showed a man being escorted by police out of Adelaide’s Government House after holding up a sign that said “abolish the monarchy”.

In Melbourne, Senator Lidia Thorpe led the crowd on Thursday by dipping her hand in red paint and speaking into a microphone in front of Flinders St station.

“The crown has blood on their hands,” Ms Thorpe yelled to the crowd.