‘Invasion Day’ rallies: Some cancelled, others go ahead as Cook statue covered in ‘blood’

A moment rarely seen was captured in photographs at an Invasion Day rally in Sydney on Wednesday as protesters did away with the shouting.

January 26 means different things to Australians and for many it represents a ‘Day of Mourning’, ‘Survival Day’ or ‘Invasion Day — the day in 1788 when the British raised their flag at Sydney Cove to claim the land as their own.

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Follow along for all of our live coverage of the day’s events.

Large crowds attend Invasion Day rally in Sydney

Tens of thousands of people have packed into the Sydney CBD for an Invasion Day rally to be met by a large police presence outside Town Hall.

Pictures from above the crowds show the immense scale of the peaceful protests which gather momentum year after year as the push to change the date gets louder and louder.

Organisers said the more than 10,000 attendees was significantly higher than last year.

“The atmosphere was brilliant,” organiser Raul Bassi said.

A speaker at the event told the crowd that it was time to change the date of Australia Day from January 26.

“Today’s a national holiday where you’re told to go and have a bbq and a beer ... to celebrate our genocide,” she said.

“I pay my respects to all First Nations here, to all of us feeling proud to be here today but yet sad in knowing why we have to stand here.

“Why do we have to promote our invasion to make sure Australia sees us, to make sure our murders stop, the raping of our women, the stealing of our children, the poisoning of our land and rivers, the denunciation of our languages. It’s disgusting.”

“Too many coppers, not enough justice” pic.twitter.com/HRMbbywGla

— Brooke Rolfe (@BrookeELRolfe) January 25, 2022

Crowds gathering outside Town Hall, Sydney on Invasion Day. @MatildaBoseleypic.twitter.com/vxNJFDjW7t

— Blake Sharp-Wiggins (@Blake_S_Wiggins) January 25, 2022

Impassioned protestors shouted “shame” as speakers told stories of late relatives killed at the hands of police and while in police custody.

“The shame isn’t on us, the shame is on this society,” one speaker told the crowd, before calling on attendees to help “claim back the streets of Sydney”.

She said too many Indigenous people were either in jail, or had become trapped in a “broken” legal system.

“We have not got justice. We were promised a treaty ... but promises can disappear just like drawings in the sand.”

There were incredible scenes as protestors sat on the ground as far as the eye could see down Elizabeth Street as the silent portion of the march came to an end.

A moment of silence on busy Elizabeth Street during Sydney's Invasion Day rally. Picture: Brooke Rolfe

Protesters march down Elizabeth St in Sydney. Picture: John Grainger

Tens of thousands of people gathered for Invasion Day protests in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Incredible scenes seeing everyone seated down Elizabeth Street #InvasionDaypic.twitter.com/vZAhT8CMG9

— Brooke Rolfe (@BrookeELRolfe) January 26, 2022

The incredible scenes were mirrorred in other states and territories.

Invasion Day rally in Brisbane. Covid and rainy weather has diminished the attendee numbers but not spirit. pic.twitter.com/uYWdvVD1TS

— Mackenzie Scott (@MackenzieJScott) January 26, 2022

Huge crowds joined the march in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

People take part in an Invasion Day protest in central Brisbane on Australia Day. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Activists gather in Garema Place in Canberra before a planned march to Old Parliament on Australia Day. Picture: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

‘Bad day to be a racist cop’

One member of the crowd in Sydney told news.com.au they were particularly upset with a comment from a police officer they overheard during the march.

The officer, according to the protester, made the passing comment to a colleague that it was “a bad day to be a racist cop”.

Outrage was shared by teenagers, Ragini Sen, 16, Bella Cowie, 17, and Lachlan kerley, 18.

The trio told news.com.au they were ashamed that many of their peers, who on social media purported to support Indigenous rights, were out celebrating Australia Day instead of marching.

“People our age need to recognise their privilege and the influence and power they have to influence the younger generation,” Ragini said.

“It’s so much easier to sit back, but we need to realise that we have quite a strong voice and influence going into the future.”

Mr Kerley agreed much of the power to create real change laid in the hands of the younger generation, and called on his peers to take responsibility.

“They need to start conversations, because there’s probably a lot of people that are thinking the same things but aren’t actively doing anything, because maybe their whole circle isn’t doing anything, so that creates a bit of a mob mentality,” he said.

Ragini, who moved to Australia from New Zealand, noted a dramatic difference in the way Māori people were treated in comparison to Indigenous Australians.

“You don’t learn that much about Aboriginal culture in school, it’s a lot more erased here,” she said.

“The history of Australia Day is tragic and the fact that we’re still celebrating this day, it should make a lot of people really angry.”

‘We’re going to keep fighting’

Leetona Dungay, the mum of David Dungay Jr, a 26-year-old Aboriginal man who died while in Long Bay Prison hospital, addressed the crowd.

She said her son was merely eating a pack of biscuits before six officers, unprovoked, caused his death in 2015.

Ms Dungay vowed to continue fighting for justice on behalf of her son.

“My lawyers and I are taking the Australian government to the United Nations. We’re going to keep fighting, until I can hold them accountable for killing my son,” she said.

“I want justice where the life of an Aboriginal man is worth something. Until we live in a country where black lives do matter.”

Huge crowds mark 50 years of Aboriginal Tent Embassy

Huge crowds turned out to mark the 50th anniversary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, marching through Canberra before ending where “the extremely powerful moment” in Australian history started.

Organisers estimate 2500 people turned out for the Invasion Day of Mourning event, where there were loud chants of “what do we want? land rights” and signs saying things like “no pride in genocide”.

There was also a second gathering at Parliament House where the only surviving member of the original Aboriginal Tent Embassy, Ghillar Michael Anderson, spoke about how the world’s longest continuous protest for Indigenous land rights began.

He along with three others – Billy Craigie, Joe Williams and Tony Coorey – pitched a beach umbrella on the lawns opposite what’s now known as Old Parliament House, in the moment that began it all.

Mr Anderson said despite the 26th being the anniversary, they technically set up their umbrella at 12.45am on the 27th.“We got out and drove the umbrella into the ground, put the plastic around us, squatted our black arses onto the ground,” he told the crowd.

Statue of Captain Cook ‘covered in blood’

A statue of Captain Cook in Melbourne has been defaced overnight with vandals covering it with red paint.

The statue at Catani Gardens in St Kilda has been defaced in the past and security guards were called to protest it last year.

A caller to Melbourne radio station 3AW on Wednesday morning told hosts: “Captain Cook is covered in blood again, it’s the second time they’ve done it.

“They’ve really got him this year. From head to toe. The whole thing has been covered in blood.”

Cleaners have since arrived and are using high-pressure hoses to clean the paint off the statue.

In 2018, vandals wrote “no pride in genocide” on the statue and poured pink paint over Cook’s head.

And the cleaners have arrived in St Kilda to clean up paint on the Captain James Cook statue. The Mayor of Port Phillip has told me that rate payers will have to foot the bill @[e-mail]/t4ldwCBlx1

— Gillian Lantouris (@gillianlant) January 25, 2022

Victoria Police issued a statement about the incident.

“Port Phillip Crime Investigation Unit detectives are investigating after a statue of Captain Cook was damaged in St Kilda overnight on 25 January,” a police spokesperson said.

“Investigators have been told red paint was thrown over the statue which stands in gardens on Jacka Boulevard.

“Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.”

Why some Invasion Day rallies are cancelled

Invasion Day rallies have become a feature of Australia Day for years, but this year will be different.

For the first time since 2015, organisers of the Melbourne event have cancelled. They had initially planned to hold the rally but cited the spread of Covid-19 as a reason not to go ahead.

Warriors for Aboriginal Resistance wrote: “After lots of consideration WAR has decided to cancel the Invasion Day March in Melbourne.

“It would be careless to hold an event in the height of a pandemic and a virus that has taken ahold of so many in our community.

“This is the first time since 2015 WAR hadn’t organised this rally and we want to be on the street fighting for our people but the time isn’t now.”

In its place, an online Invasion Day Dawn Service was held.

Darwin-based resistance group Uprising of the People (UP) have likewise cancelled an event there this year, telling followers to rest instead.

In Hobart, the Invasion Day event has gone online this year and will feature a minute silence, a Welcome to Country and speeches from activists including last year’s Australian of the Year, Grace Tame.

Invasion Day rallied will take place across the country but some cities have opted to take the events online because of the spread of Covid-19. Picture: Che Chorley

The rest of the nation’s capital citites will hold Invasion Day rallies on the streets.

In Sydney, the event will start at Town Hall at 10am before crowds march down Elizabeth Street to Yabun Festival in Victoria Park.

Organisers have asked those in attendance to wear face masks and socially distance where possible.

Adelaide will host an Invasion Day rally that begins just after midday at Victoria Square. A ticketed smoking ceremony started the day in Adelaide’s Elder Park and events are expected to go well into the evening.

Thousands of people have expressed interest in attending the Invasion Day rally in Perth which corganisers say will take place at Forrest Chase.

“Come and join us January 26th as we gather to speak about the true history of Australia day or invasion/survival day as we call it,” organisers wrote on Facebook.

In Brisbane, marchers will gather early at Queens Gardens to make signs before travelling to Musgrave Park for the main event.

Organisers have told protesters they must wear face masks to participate.

Canberra’s Invasion Day event coincides with the 50th year of the Tent Embassy on the lawns of Old Parliament House.

Thousands of people are expected to gather there from 10am.

Australia Day events around the country, including fireworks displays, have also been cancelled this year.

— with NCA NewsWire