Latest news with #InvasionDay
National Post
11-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Geoff Russ: Macdonald's critics don't just hate our first PM. They hate Canada
Article content In many cases, the national holiday of 'Australia Day' has been cancelled, with calls to rename it 'Invasion Day.' Article content Like Canada, Australia is increasingly portrayed as a primordially evil settler state that is irredeemable until a sort of bureaucratic cultural revolution takes place. Article content Last year, a school field trip in Toronto resulted in students of ' colonizer ' ethnicity being asked to wear blue to set them apart from their classmates. Article content It was an inappropriate, if not dehumanizing, decision by the school staff, who should have lost their jobs over it. That is all part of the process of demoralization and alienation. Article content This racial division of society is a branch from the same tree that sprouted 'Kill the Boer' in South Africa. Article content For context, 'Kill the Boer' is a song that emerged during the apartheid era in resistance to South Africa's white-minority government that ended in 1994. Article content The tune was revived in the 2010s by far-left political leader Julius Malema, who routinely accuses the remaining white population of hoarding their wealth and continuing to oppress the country's Black majority. Article content Article content Malema has insisted that the title of the song is a metaphor, stating that, 'we've not called for the killing of white people, at least for now.' Article content That sort of extreme discourse has not been broached in Canada, and people should not expect mass violence anytime soon. However, the underlying assumptions about the value of 'colonizers' hardly differ from Malema's. Article content Take the reaction from the hard-left to the massacre of Israeli citizens by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Article content Former Ontario NDP MPP Sarah Jama's first reaction was to issue a statement accusing Israel of apartheid and engaging in 'settler colonialism.' Article content Jama made sure to mention that she, too, was 'a politician who is participating in this settler colonial system.' Article content The inability to wait until the victims' blood was dry before equivocating was telling. Article content Others, such as a lecturer at Langara College in Vancouver, celebrated the ' amazing, brilliant offensive ' as an act of liberation, and have been unapologetic about doing so to this day. Article content 'Kill the Boer' is not an isolated phenomenon, it is part and parcel of the global decolonial movement. Article content Macdonald is being wiped from the public eye for two reasons. Article content The first is that he was once commemorated with more monuments in Canada than any other prime minister, and was thus an easy target. Secondly, his efforts created the country that so many people despise. Article content It is not so much Macdonald whom they seek to dishonour as it is Canada itself. Article content Article content Article content
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Controversial politician blasts cricket bosses for BETRAYING Australia with a very woke decision
Firebrand politician Mark Latham has accused Cricket Australia of betraying the nation after it was revealed that no matches will be played on January 26 next year. Australia Day has become a huge issue for the governing body, with no games being played on the public holiday this year, either. Cricket Australia also decided not to mention the words 'Australia Day' when the Test against the West Indies fell on January 26, 2024. The national day has become a divisive issue in recent years as many Aussies refuse to celebrate it, claiming the date should be changed because it is known as 'Invasion Day' to many. Latham saw red when the news broke on Wednesday afternoon and posted a fiery message on Facebook. 'Complete BS,' he wrote. 'Cricket Australia has now announced there will be no cricket played on Australia Day 2026! 'A betrayal of those who love our country and its national sport. 'And an act of self-harm: we only have cricket in Australia because of 26 January 1788. No Australia Day, no cricket or cricket salaries. 'It's the birthday of cricket in Australia, why wouldn't these clowns celebrate it??' Latham's question was answered by Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg when he was interviewed by radio 2GB 's Ben Fordham on Thursday. The Big Bash League final will be played on January 25, and Fordham asked for an explanation about why the big match isn't being held a day later. 'There's nothing sinister, no hidden meanings, there's certainly no avoidance of the concept of playing cricket on Australia Day,' Greenberg said. 'But we sat down and had a close look at this one and on the balance of merit, we've decided to play the night before.' Greenberg said CA only took two factors into consideration when the decision was made. 'To get the best possible crowd, unashamedly to sell as many tickets as we can to get a full house, and then the second is to ensure we work with our broadcast partners to give them the highest possible ratings for Seven and Fox,' he said. 'The concept of the date ... was not a consideration.' 'There's no concern about us playing on Australia Day.' Greenberg added that CA believed the crowd would be bigger since it's a day-night match, and by holding it on Sunday the 25th, more families would attend as they'd have the public holiday to rest before kids returned to school in many parts of Australia on the 27th. He said if the BBL match was a day game, playing on the 26th would have made 'absolute sense'. Cricket legend Ian Healy adopted the same argument when he hit back at those opposed to the decision. 'Some fans and some media have had a cynical dig at Cricket Australia for not scheduling cricket on Monday, January 26th because of the political hot potato it can become,' he told SEN. 'Last year it was to stay away from ratings of the (Australian Open) tennis final from memory, but this year it's definitely at the request of the broadcasters.' However, that didn't wash with many Aussie cricket fans. 'Todd Greenberg almost destroyed Rugby League with his woke virus mindset. Looks like he has achieved his mission of completely destroying cricket, he just doesn't get it,' one wrote about the former NRL CEO. 'Keep digging a hole, Cricket Australia,' added another.
NBC News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Australian locality removing often-vandalized monument to British explorer James Cook
MELBOURNE, Australia — An Australian local government has decided against repairing an often-vandalized monument to renowned British explorer James Cook because it would be destroyed again. But the mayor on Wednesday rejected accusations that the vandals have won. Statues and monuments to the 18th-century naval officer are common in Australia and are often defaced by opponents of Britain's settlement of the country without a treaty with its Indigenous people. In 1770, then Lt. Cook charted the Australian east coast where Sydney would become the first British colony on the continent. The granite and bronze monument to the master navigator and cartographer in an inner-city Melbourne park was vandalized days after the anniversary of the first British settlers' arrival at Sydney Cove was commemorated on Jan. 26. Opponents of Australia Day celebrations denounce the public holiday as 'Invasion Day.' There are growing calls for the country to find a less divisive national day. The monument in Melbourne's Edinburgh Gardens was snapped at its base and spray painted with the words 'cook the colony.' Mayor Stephen Jolly, head of the Yarra City Council, which is a municipality near the heart of Melbourne, said his fellow councilors had voted unanimously on Tuesday night against spending 15,000 Australian dollars ($9,700) on repairing the monument, which remains in storage. Jolly said the decision to permanently remove the monument, which included an image of Cook's face cast in bronze, was about economics rather than taking a position in Australia's culture wars. 'It's about being economically rational. It's AU$15,000 a pop every time we have to repair it and it's persistently getting either demolished or vandalized or tagged,' Jolly told Australian Broadcasting Corp. 'It's just a waste of ratepayers' money. We can't afford to do that,' Jolly added. But Victoria state's Melbourne-based conservative opposition leader, Brad Battin, condemned removing such memorials as surrendering to vandals. 'We need to stand strong and remember the fact that this is part of our history,' Battin told reporters. 'If you start to remove the history of our state and our country because of activists, then you're actually giving in to those that are campaigning against it,' Battin added. Jolly disagreed that his council had given the vandals what they wanted. 'No, I think they would've loved for us to put it back up and then they could've just tagged it again or destroyed it again and just had this ongoing sort of little war going on in Edinburgh Gardens,' Jolly said. 'I think they're probably the most disappointed people that it's not going to be there anymore,' Jolly added. The base of the monument remained at the entrance to the park on Wednesday with a traffic cone attached to warn cyclists, joggers and pedestrians of the trip hazard it presents. Someone has scrawled a smiling face and a torso on the cone in an apparent reference to the memorial that had once stood in its place. Jolly said a local branch of the Captain Cook Society, an international group that celebrates the explorer, has offered to preserve the bronze plaques. Melbourne-based society member Bill Lang said discussions were underway to find a short-term home for the monument, such as a museum. Lang said the council's decision not to repair the monument was disheartening. 'It's very disappointing for every open-minded Australian that believes that there are lots of things that we can learn about and learn from our history that we should celebrate,' Lang said.
Leader Live
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
Captain Cook monument removed from Melbourne park after repeated vandalism
But the mayor rejected accusations that the vandals have won. Statues and monuments to the 18th century naval officer are common in Australia and are often defaced by opponents of Britain's settlement of the country without a treaty with its indigenous people. In 1770, then-Lieutenant Cook charted the Australian east coast where Sydney would become the first British colony on the continent. The granite and bronze monument to the master navigator and cartographer in an inner-city Melbourne park was vandalised days after the anniversary of the first British settlers' arrival at Sydney Cove was commemorated on January 26. Opponents of Australia Day celebrations denounce the public holiday as 'Invasion Day'. There are growing calls for the country to find a less divisive national day. The monument in Melbourne's Edinburgh Gardens was snapped at its base and spray-painted with the words 'cook the colony'. Mayor Stephen Jolly, head of the Yarra City Council, which is a municipality near the heart of Melbourne, said his fellow councillors had voted unanimously on Tuesday night against spending 15,000 Australian dollars (£7,285) on repairing the monument, which remains in storage. Mr Jolly said the decision to permanently remove the monument, which included an image of Cook's face cast in bronze, was about economics rather than taking a position in Australia's culture wars. 'It's about being economically rational. It's 15,000 dollars a pop every time we have to repair it and it's persistently getting either demolished or vandalised or tagged,' Mr Jolly told Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 'It's just a waste of ratepayers' money. We can't afford to do that,' he added. But Victoria state's Melbourne-based conservative opposition leader Brad Battin condemned removing such memorials as surrendering to vandals. 'We need to stand strong and remember the fact that this is part of our history,' Mr Battin told reporters. 'If you start to remove the history of our state and our country because of activists, then you're actually giving in to those that are campaigning against it,' he added. Mr Jolly disagreed that his council had given the vandals what they wanted. 'No, I think they would've loved for us to put it back up and then they could've just tagged it again or destroyed it again and just had this ongoing sort of little war going on in Edinburgh Gardens,' he said. 'I think they're probably the most disappointed people that it's not going to be there anymore,' Mr Jolly added. The base of the monument remained at the entrance of the park on Wednesday with a traffic cone attached to warn cyclists, joggers and pedestrians of the trip hazard it presents. Someone has scrawled a smiling face and a torso on the cone in an apparent reference to the memorial that had once stood in its place. Mr Jolly said a local branch of the Captain Cook Society, an international group that celebrates the explorer, has offered to preserve the bronze plaques. Melbourne-based society member Bill Lang said discussions were under way to find a short-term home for the monument, such as a museum. Mr Lang said the council's decision not to repair the monument was disheartening. 'It's very disappointing for every open-minded Australian that believes that there are lots of things that we can learn about and learn from our history that we should celebrate,' he said.
Rhyl Journal
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
Captain Cook monument removed from Melbourne park after repeated vandalism
But the mayor rejected accusations that the vandals have won. Statues and monuments to the 18th century naval officer are common in Australia and are often defaced by opponents of Britain's settlement of the country without a treaty with its indigenous people. In 1770, then-Lieutenant Cook charted the Australian east coast where Sydney would become the first British colony on the continent. The granite and bronze monument to the master navigator and cartographer in an inner-city Melbourne park was vandalised days after the anniversary of the first British settlers' arrival at Sydney Cove was commemorated on January 26. Opponents of Australia Day celebrations denounce the public holiday as 'Invasion Day'. There are growing calls for the country to find a less divisive national day. The monument in Melbourne's Edinburgh Gardens was snapped at its base and spray-painted with the words 'cook the colony'. Mayor Stephen Jolly, head of the Yarra City Council, which is a municipality near the heart of Melbourne, said his fellow councillors had voted unanimously on Tuesday night against spending 15,000 Australian dollars (£7,285) on repairing the monument, which remains in storage. Mr Jolly said the decision to permanently remove the monument, which included an image of Cook's face cast in bronze, was about economics rather than taking a position in Australia's culture wars. 'It's about being economically rational. It's 15,000 dollars a pop every time we have to repair it and it's persistently getting either demolished or vandalised or tagged,' Mr Jolly told Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 'It's just a waste of ratepayers' money. We can't afford to do that,' he added. But Victoria state's Melbourne-based conservative opposition leader Brad Battin condemned removing such memorials as surrendering to vandals. 'We need to stand strong and remember the fact that this is part of our history,' Mr Battin told reporters. 'If you start to remove the history of our state and our country because of activists, then you're actually giving in to those that are campaigning against it,' he added. Mr Jolly disagreed that his council had given the vandals what they wanted. 'No, I think they would've loved for us to put it back up and then they could've just tagged it again or destroyed it again and just had this ongoing sort of little war going on in Edinburgh Gardens,' he said. 'I think they're probably the most disappointed people that it's not going to be there anymore,' Mr Jolly added. The base of the monument remained at the entrance of the park on Wednesday with a traffic cone attached to warn cyclists, joggers and pedestrians of the trip hazard it presents. Someone has scrawled a smiling face and a torso on the cone in an apparent reference to the memorial that had once stood in its place. Mr Jolly said a local branch of the Captain Cook Society, an international group that celebrates the explorer, has offered to preserve the bronze plaques. Melbourne-based society member Bill Lang said discussions were under way to find a short-term home for the monument, such as a museum. Mr Lang said the council's decision not to repair the monument was disheartening. 'It's very disappointing for every open-minded Australian that believes that there are lots of things that we can learn about and learn from our history that we should celebrate,' he said.
