Celebrations And Protests on Australia Day
January 26 2017 By Abiodun Giwa
Protesters in Melbourne (Courtesy: BBC)
January 26 is officially Australia's independence day. There has been celebrations in the country by people, who agree with the official independence day. But people who disagrees with the official January 26 as independence day have asked the government to change the country's independence day celebration.
Government officials don't seem to be ready for such a drastic measure to change the country's independence day and the deputy prime minister has not minced words, in his condemnation for the request for a change.
"Crawl under a rock and hide," Barnaby Joyce said to the protesters, whom he also reference miserable and gutted, according to news reports published by the BBC.
But whether under a rock on top of a rock, people who seek a change are protesting anyway, saying that January 26, the day of arrival for the first British settlers being marked as independence day represents a reminder of the loss of the land by the indigenous people.
Government officials don't seem to be ready for such a drastic measure to change the country's independence day and the deputy prime minister has not minced words, in his condemnation for the request for a change.
"Crawl under a rock and hide," Barnaby Joyce said to the protesters, whom he also reference miserable and gutted, according to news reports published by the BBC.
But whether under a rock on top of a rock, people who seek a change are protesting anyway, saying that January 26, the day of arrival for the first British settlers being marked as independence day represents a reminder of the loss of the land by the indigenous people.
