A city of two tales: New citizens welcomed while Invasion Day protesters rally

Hundreds of new citizens were welcomed at a ceremony in Brisbane City Hall on Sunday morning, while a large crowd gathered nearby for the annual “Invasion Day” protest march.

Five hundred people from 70 countries packed the hall to become Australian citizens in the first of 11 such ceremonies scheduled for Brisbane this year.

The top five countries for new citizens were India (88), New Zealand (63), China (33), South Africa (15), and Taiwan (15).

Indigenous performers at Sunday’s Australia Day citizenship ceremony at Brisbane City Hall.Credit: Neesha Sinnya

“For many of our new citizens, this ceremony marks the culmination of a long road to becoming Australians and is a significant milestone in their lives,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.

“I’m always touched to hear their stories and that they chose to call Brisbane home because of our incredible lifestyle, hospitality, opportunity, and how we embrace diversity and multiculturalism.”

In contrast to the lord mayor’s Australia Day citizenship ceremony, hundreds gathered down the road at Queens Gardens to take part in the annual Invasion Day rally, one of many protests held in capital cities and regional centres around the country today.

Event organisers say January 26 – the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 – is not a day to celebrate, but is a day of mourning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Brisbane event began with speeches in the gardens before hundreds of people marched across Victoria Bridge towards Musgrave Park in South Brisbane to chants of “always was, always will be, Aboriginal land”.

As reported in Sydney and Melbourne, Brisbane’s Invasion Day rally has coalesced with pro-Palestine displays, with flags and chants in solidarity with Palestinians affected by the Gaza conflict.

Palestinian activist Noura Mansour told thousands at a Melbourne rally that Indigenous Australians and Palestinians had a lot in common as victims of colonisation.

Invasion Day protesters and pro-Palestinian supporters gathered in Brisbane on Sunday morning. Credit: Neesha Sinnya

“Days like today – like January 26 – offer us the opportunity of moral clarity,” she said.

“Instances and moments like these, like the events that are unfolding in Palestine, the genocide that Israel continues to carry out in Palestine, offer us the chance to be led by our innate moral compass and humanity and do the right thing.”

Activists at the Brisbane event spoke of the ongoing injustices that Indigenous Australians face, including deaths in custody, stolen land, the erasure of truth telling, and high suicide rates, while continuing to call for the date of Australia Day to be changed.

This is despite recent polling by this masthead showing a swing in support for celebrations remaining on January 26, jumping from 47 to 61 per cent in the past two years.

Despite polling showing renewed support for January 26 Australia Day celebrations, thousands of people have attended rallies around the country calling for the date to be changed and marching in solidarity with First Nations peoples. Credit: Neesha Sinnya

The survey also showed 52 per cent of voters backed the idea of passing a federal law to make January 26 the official day, a key proposal put forward by opposition leader Peter Dutton.

While no overtly pro-Australia counter-rallies have been reported in Brisbane, a crowd of about 50 white supremacists have gathered at Olympic Park Oval in Melbourne, blaring music and waving large Australian flags.

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