Happy Invasion Day Australia 2020

One can hear the celebrations down the road from our house: firecrackers, screaming kids, crying babies, and an average band playing 70's music. Fortunately, the smoke that pervaded the air like a mushroom cloud from the bush fires has dissipated from the rain. Our PM Scott Morrison appeared on public TV, asking for unity, and the Queen of England, Elizabeth II, has sent her regards on twitter. I guess, a normal January 26^th, but the most refreshing images, for me at least, was the Invasion Day protests across the Nation. Each year, these protests just get better and better.

Our traditional reasons for celebrating Australia are the same reasons we have celebrated since 1915, the eighteenth century discovery of the continent by a British explorer, Captain Cook, and bringing “civilisation” to the indigenous people. In effect, we continue to celebrate brutal white colonialism. And the real history of this nation has been shrouded in white nationalism, and the attempt by the settlers, mostly rejects from the UK, to genocide an entire race of people. The aboriginals, the true Australians.

Beginning mostly in the early 90's, these Australia Day protests had taken hold, and with education of our true history landed in the mainstream curriculum for secondary schools in all our major states. I remember in 2003, going off the schools curriculum completely, and introducing a Year 9 class to the genocides that had actually happened in the neighbourhood of the school. I knew this would be popular for the students, as they actually lived on the land that these historical events occurred. During this particular time, late 19^th century, land owners would lay in wait with their rifles and pick off aboriginals, including children, as “target practice”. This shocked the children, and white colonialism began to to take on a different colour in their malleable minds.

Right wing politicians want us to continue to believe in the “great white hope” of our modern civilisation. Our politicians still, refuse to acknowledge the indigenous people, on this day. To be sure, if it was absolutely up to them, the real history of white colonialism would be erased from the history books. The glorious white man would continue be exalted as the saviour of our modern world.

From another political perspective, Australia should celebrate its independence, like the Americans, from British rule. On paper at least, the Head of State of Australia remains the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Elizabeth II. For any purpose, for any modern country, this fact is absurd. Legally, we have zero independence from British rule.

So Australia is in a double illusion of sovereignty: celebrating brutal white colonialism, ignoring the indigenous people, the natural Australians and, absurdly, our lack of legal independence from Mother England. Thus celebrating “Australia Day”, is hypocritical and a illusion at best.

Please, don't get me wrong, over the last 30 some years, the country has been good to me, and I have been good to it. I love this country, but the shackles of white nationalism must fall, and a break from England, too, before any real celebration can happen with a clear conscience, and a clean view of the future.

Happy Invasion Day, Australia.