Thousands protest Australia Day celebrations

MELBOURNE: Tens of thousands of Australians took to the streets on Friday, protesting a contentious national holiday that also marks the arrival of European colonists more than 200 years ago. In Sydney, Melbourne and several other cities, thousands of “Invasion Day” protesters demanded the date of the annual Australia Day celebrations be changed. The public holiday is held on January 26 every year. For most Australians, it is synonymous with a day off work, a barbecue, Test match cricket, a trip to the beach and the end of the summer holidays. But the choice of date — which marks the arrival of European settlers at Sydney Harbour in 1788 — has become increasingly contentious. Indigenous activists say Europeans´ arrival heralded…