Canada remembers horrors inflicted on indigenous peoples

Yahoo – AFP, Michel COMTE, September 30, 2021

A crowd gathers outside parlament in Ottawa around shoes that honour missing and
deceased indigenous children during Canada's first National Day for Truth and
Reconciliation. (AFP/Lars Hagberg)

Canada on Thursday commemorated a century of injustices against its indigenous populations in the first ever National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, following shocking discoveries of hundreds of unmarked graves at former indigenous residential schools. 

"It is a day to reflect. It is a day to honour. It is a day to grieve. It is a day to mourn. It is a day to shed tears," Algonquin elder Claudette Commanda told a ceremony in front of parliament attended by thousands. 

Gatherings and marches were also held in communities across Canada. 

The occasion had been observed unofficially as Orange Shirt Day since 2013 to promote awareness of what a truth and reconciliation commission branded "cultural genocide" of Canada's indigenous peoples. 

It was inspired by a former student, Phyllis Webstad, who recounted how at six years old she was stripped of her clothes, including a new orange shirt bought by her grandmother, on her first day of residential schooling. 

The government elevated the day to a statutory holiday this year following the announcement of discoveries of more than 1,200 unmarked graves at several former indigenous residential schools since May. 

"The tragic locating of unmarked graves at former residential school sites across the country has reminded us of not only the impacts of colonialism and the harsh realities of our collective past, but also the work that is paramount to advancing reconciliation in Canada," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement. 

An indigenous child holds a flaf during the first National Day for Truth and
Reconciliation in Ottawa (AFP/Larsc Hagberg)

On the eve of this day, he said Canadians must acknowledge the "terrible injustices" committed against the country's indigenous people. 

"Until we understand as a country that each one of our stories is all of our story there cannot be truth, there cannot be reconciliation," he said in front of parliament illuminated at night in orange.

On Thursday, messages of support poured in, including from Queen Elizabeth II who said she joins Canadians in reflecting "on the painful history that Indigenous peoples endured in residential schools in Canada, and on the work that remains to heal and to continue to build an inclusive society." 

Losing family and community 

From the late 19th century to the 1990s, some 150,000 First Nations, Metis and Inuit children were forcibly enrolled at the schools across Canada. 

Students spent months or years isolated from their families, and were physically and sexually abused by headmasters and teachers who stripped them of their culture and language. 

Thousands are believed to have died of disease, malnutrition or neglect. Many more became detached or alienated. 

Today, while searches continue for more grave sites, those experiences are blamed for a high incidence of poverty, alcoholism and domestic violence, as well as high suicide rates, in indigenous communities. 

"We can all understand what it might feel like to lose a child. We can all understand what it might feel like to lose our parents, families (and) communities," said Jenny Sutherland, whose grandmother went to a residential school. 

An indigenous leader in traditional head dress addresses a crowd in front of a wall
of posted message and children's drawing outside Canada's parlement during the
first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (AFP/Lars Hagberg)

"This is the space we need to step into today," she urged a crowd dressed in orange and traditional indigenous garments in Ottawa and those watching on television nationwide. 

The residential schools set up by Ottawa and run by the Catholic Church were "more than an aggressive assimilation tactic by our government, but an act of war," she commented. 

"We as indigenous people are not supposed to be here." 

In Montreal, Michelle Martel said she joined a march to commemorate her grandparents and other relatives who attended residential schools, but also "for my children and my grandchildren for reconciliation, so that we can live together in peace one day." 

Paul Bode, who is non-native, said he attended the march to show solidarity with indigenous people because "I continue to benefit from what has been produced by this injustice" -- in reference to lands taken from tribes for settlement by colonisers. 

Last week, the Catholic Church apologized "unequivocally" for abuses at the schools and acknowledged "the historical and ongoing trauma" inflicted on indigenous peoples. 

Indigenous leaders, however, are still awaiting a mea culpa from Pope Francis himself, as well as the release of school records. 

Marie-Pierre Bousquet, an indigenous studies professor at the University of Montreal, told AFP: "It's important that this story not just be an indigenous story, but one that is shared by all." 

"This is a time of coming together for the entire Canadian population" to reflect on the past and "show solidarity in moving towards reconciliation," she said.

UK apologises for 'pervasive racism' over imperial war dead

Yahoo – AFP, James PHEBY, April 22, 2021 

New report says the British Empire did not treat all World War I dead equally.

Britain on Thursday offered an "unreserved apology" after a new report said hundreds of thousands of African and ethnic minority soldiers who died fighting for the British Empire in World War I were not properly commemorated due to "pervasive racism". 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was "deeply troubled" by the findings of a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) probe, which suggested soldiers were not treated as fairly in death as their white British counterparts. 

"During the First World War, millions of people from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Middle East fought for Britain in the struggle against tyranny," he said in a statement. 

"Their contribution to victory was immense, not just in numerical terms but in their courage and valour, and many paid the ultimate price so that we might live in peace and freedom today. 

"I am deeply troubled by the findings... that not all of our war dead were commemorated with equal care and reverence. On behalf of the government, I offer an unreserved apology." 

Imperial attitudes 

Johnson's statement followed Defence Secretary Ben Wallace's verbal apology in parliament as Britain reckons with the legacy of its colonial past and links to slavery, against a backdrop of anti-racism and Black Lives Matter protests. 

Last month, there was a backlash at a government-commissioned report which concluded prejudice persists but the country is not "institutionally racist", enraging equality campaigners. 

The CWGC said the failure to honour the troops was "influenced by a scarcity of information, errors inherited from other organisations and the opinions of colonial administrators". 

"Underpinning all these decisions, however, were the entrenched prejudices, preconceptions and pervasive racism of contemporary imperial attitudes." 

The CWGC was set up during World War I to remember Britain's war dead. It cares for war graves at 23,000 locations in more than 150 countries, commemorating nearly 1.7 million people.

'Equality in death' 

The CWGC, offering its own apologies, has promised to try to right the wrongs of the past and build digital or physical structures to honour the dead. 

The Great War pulled in close to 70 million soldiers on five continents, leaving some 10 million dead in battle and claiming many million more lives through hunger and disease. 

The Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC), which became the CWGC, was founded on the principle of "equality of treatment in death", regardless of rank, class, religion or provenance. 

But while that aim was achieved in Europe, "the promise of equality had limits elsewhere" where there was fighting during the conflict, the report said. 

"In conflict with the organisation's founding principles, it is estimated that between 45,000 and 54,000 casualties -- predominantly Indian, East African, West African, Egyptian and Somali personnel -- were commemorated unequally," it said. 

"For some, rather than marking their graves individually, as the IWGC would have done in Europe, these men were commemorated collectively on memorials. 

"For others who were missing, their names were recorded in registers rather than in stone. 

"A further 116,000 casualties (predominantly, but not exclusively, East African and Egyptian personnel) -- but potentially as many as 350,000 -- were not commemorated by name or possibly not commemorated at all." 

'The Unremembered' 

CWGC director general Claire Horton said: "The events of a century ago were wrong then and are wrong now." 

The study was set up following a TV documentary on the issue by David Lammy, who is the main opposition Labour party's spokesman on justice. 

"No apology can ever make up for the indignity suffered by The Unremembered," Lammy wrote on Twitter. 

"However, this apology does offer the opportunity for us as a nation to work through this ugly part of our history -- and properly pay our respects to every soldier who has sacrificed their life for us." 

Commonwealth should 'acknowledge' past wrongs, says Prince Harry

Yahoo – AFP, July 6, 2020

Harry, Duke of Sussex, seen here in conversation with Formula 1 champion Lewis
 Hamilton, had already spoken out last week against institutional racism (AFP
 Photo/PETER NICHOLLS)

London (AFP) - Prince Harry has urged the Commonwealth, which his grandmother heads, to acknowledge its uncomfortable colonial past, in video extracts published on Monday.

The 35-year-old royal and his wife, Meghan, joined a video conference call with leaders organised by the Queen's Commonwealth Trust (QCT) from their base in the United States.

The sessions were set up in response to the growing Black Lives Matter movement, sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, during a US police arrest.

Harry last week outlined his personal commitment to tackling institutional racism, saying it had "no place" in society but was still too widespread.

On the July 1 call, posted on the QCT website, he said: "When you look across the Commonwealth, there is no way that we can move forward unless we acknowledge the past.

"So many people have done such an incredible job of acknowledging the past and trying to right those wrongs but I think we all acknowledge there is so much more still to do.

"It's not going to be easy and in some cases it's not going to be comfortable, but it needs to be done, because, guess what, everybody benefits."

Queen Elizabeth II is the head of the Commonwealth, a non-political organisation of 54 countries, most of which have links to the British Empire.

It comprises 2.4 billion people -- a quarter of the world's population -- of which 60 percent are aged under 30.

The QCT was set up to give younger people from member nations a platform to share ideas and insights.

The chief executive of the QCT, Nicola Brentnall, has said the body is studying how the Commonwealth's colonial past and its legacy should shape its future.

Harry and Meghan stepped down from frontline royal duties this year and have set up a non-profit organisation focusing on the promoting of mental health, education and well-being.

Meghan, a mixed-race US former actress, has previously talked about her own personal experience of racism and unconscious bias.

Former army officer Harry has also complained about the "racial undertones" of media coverage of his wife.

The couple are president and vice-president respectively of the QCT.

Chagos islands: The fight over Africa’s last British colony

DW, 22 November 2019

A piece of Britain lies between Madagascar, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. To date the Chagos Islands are still under British control and their inhabitants live in exile. But the UK has missed a deadline to return them.

   

The anger in his voice is clearly audible. There is a lack of goodwill on the side of the British government, Olivier Bancoult says. The fight over the Chagos archipelago has been dragging on for too long. "We are continuing to put pressure [on the British government]," Bancoult told DW. As a young boy, Bancoult was one of the Chagos residents who were forced to resettle. Today he lives in Mauritius and as a lawyer has been fighting for the people of Chagos and their descendants to return to the islands. On Friday, November 22, the United Nations deadline for the return of the islands to its people. Bancoult is amongst the organizers of a demonstration outside the British High Commission in Mauritius.

Mauritius, which had once been part of the same colonial territory as the Chagos islands, gained its independence in 1968. Between 1968 and 1973, up to 2,000 residents of the Chagos archipelago were forced to move to Mauritius, the Seychelles and UK in order to establish a military base on the main island, Diego Garcia. In the meantime, the UK has leased it to the US until 2036. Chagos served as a military base for both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The largest island, Diego Garcis, serves as a US military base

Geostrategic importance

"We were poor people who are living in peace and harmony until they made the decision to giv one of the largest islands to America to make a military base. Since that time our nightmare started. Many of us were forcibly removed from our native land to live in Mauritius and the Seychelles," Bancoult told DW. In February the International Court of Justice in The Hague, ruled that the archipelago is legally a part of Mauritius. The court said that Britain had illegally separated the islands from Mauritius and should give them back.

The British government rejected the ruling. "The UK has no doubt as to our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814," read a statement by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The statement, however, alleged that Britain had pledged  to hand over the islands to Mauritius when they are no longer needed for defense purposes.

In May, the UN General Assembly also called on the UK to handover the islands. The deadline for the handover expired on November 22, but the resolution is not binding and the UK seems to have no intention to make such a move in the near future.

The strategic location and the military role of the island, make the very calls for its independence very difficult.  Philippe Sands, a British lawyer who advises the Mauritian government on the Chagos matter, believes that talks between the UK, the US and Mauritius will continue to take place. "Mauritius has indicated that the military base could even remain on the island," Sands told DW.

Read more: The Commonwealth: Still relevant for Africa today?

The archipelago belings to the same island group as Mauritius which
gained independence from Britain in 1968

Clinging onto the last African colony

Sands believes that Britain's reluctance to bow to international pressure lies in the fact that it is still coming to terms with its new place in world politics. "[The UK] is a diminished power. It has lost its judge at the International Court of Justice, it has lost a series of resolutions at the UN General Assembly. I think its just taking time to come to the realization, that ist legal situation and is very different, but ultimately I think the UK will comply with the court," Sands said.

The UK, Sands explained, is paying a high price for its political losses. "They're in the process of leaving the European Union, and they have to negotiate new trade agreements and political agreements with several countries. The government is in real trouble and I think that is why it is clinging on to its last colony in Africa," Sands said.  For him, keeping the islands under British control amounts to a crime against the people of Chagos.

Chagossians celebrate the news of the UN resolution calling on the
UK give up control of the islands (February 2019)

Hopes set on upcoming UK elections

According to Sands, the UN is already preparing new maps which show the Chagos islands as part of Mauritius. Additionally Mauritius is the only country that can have legal rights to fishing and overflying rights of the area.

Sands and Bancoult have the hope that the upcoming UK elections set for December 12 could make a difference. "The Labour party has promised to respect the ruling of the International Court of Justice," Sands said. "If the next government is under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn that would be very good,” Bancoult said. "He already supports us."

According to Bancoult, 596 Chagossians who were forced to leave the islands are still alive today. All in all, he said, they have 9.800 descendants who identify as Chagossians. Bancoult himself finds the thought of growing old away from his homeland difficult. "Most old people want to die where they were born," he said.

Another town scraps Australia Day, drawing government ire

Yahoo – AFP, 14 Sep 2017

Another town scraps Australia Day, drawing government ire

   

Sydney (AFP) - Marking Australia Day is like celebrating the Holocaust, a Melbourne politician said as her council scrapped a holiday it deemed offensive to Aboriginal people, in a move the government on Thursday labelled "extreme and divisive".

The council in the Melbourne suburb of Moreland became the third in Victoria state to decide not to recognise Australia Day.

The annual holiday, on January 26, commemorates the arrival of the country's first British settlers in 1788 and is a time when citizenship ceremonies are held.

But it is termed "Invasion Day" by many indigenous Australians who say it marks the beginning of the decline of Aboriginal culture.

In debating the issue Wednesday, Moreland Socialist Alliance councillor Sue Bolton said commemorating Australia Day "would be like celebrating the Nazi Holocaust", state broadcaster ABC reported.

Assistant Minister for Immigration Alex Hawke said in a statement the government rejected "the extreme and divisive nature of the discussion Greens and Socialist councillors are promoting".

He said the government of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull "strongly condemns comparisons of Australia Day with the Nazi Holocaust as deeply offensive to all Australians".

"Australia Day is a recognition of our shared history and the Turnbull government, along with the vast majority of Australians, indigenous and non-indigenous, fully support Australia Day remaining on January 26."

Australia's colonial history credits Captain James Cook with discovering the country, but Aboriginal people inhabited the land for more than 60,000 years before the first European explorers arrived.

Last month a war of words erupted over colonial-era statues in Australia, with several in Sydney defaced, including one of Cook with the words "change the date" in reference to Australia Day.

The vandalism sparked a furious response from Turnbull, who brushed off calls for the statues to be torn down, adding that the defacement was "what Stalin did" in denying history.

Aborigines remain the most disadvantaged Australians. They were believed to have numbered around one million at the time of British settlement, but now make up only about three percent of the total population of 24 million.

Town scraps Australia Day, calling it offensive to Aboriginal people. Government says move is "extreme and divisive" https://t.co/GicfnvGVrU pic.twitter.com/xrT7JsgrtR

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 14, 2017

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Slavery claims as UK child sex abuse inquiry opens

Yahoo – AFP, Robin MILLARD, February 27, 2017

Between 1945 and 1970, youngsters were sent from Britain to Australia mainly,
but also Canada, New Zealand and what is now Zimbabwe -- often without the
consent of their families (AFP Photo/WILLIAM WEST)

London (AFP) - England's mammoth inquiry into historical child sex abuse was told of the "torture, rape and slavery" suffered by child migrants shipped to Australia, at its first public hearings on Monday.

The wide-ranging Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse opened by looking at the schemes that sent thousands of vulnerable children to far-flung parts of the Commonwealth in the decades after World War II.

David Hill broke down as he told the inquiry of the "endemic" sexual abuse at the school he was sent to in Australia.

"I hope this inquiry can promote an understanding of the long-term consequences and suffering of those who were sexually abused," he said.

"Many never recover and are permanently afflicted with guilt, shame, diminished self-confidence, low self-esteem, fear and trauma."

British Prime Minister Theresa May set up the inquiry in 2014 when she was interior minister.

The British Empire sent some 150,000 children abroad over 350 years, according to a 1998 parliamentary study, although the probe started Monday by looking at use of the practice after World War II.

British Prime Minister Theresa May set up a mammoth inquiry into historical 

child sex abuse in July 2014 when she was the interior minister (AFP Photo/

Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS)

It was justified as a means of slashing the costs of caring for lone children and providing disadvantaged young people with a fresh start, while meeting labour shortages in the Commonwealth and populating colonial-era lands with white British settlers.

Between 1945 and 1970, youngsters were sent mainly to Australia, but also Canada, New Zealand and what is now Zimbabwe -- often without the consent of their families.

But the promise of a good upbringing and an exciting new life in the sun was often, in reality, a world of forced labour, brutal treatment and sexual assault in remote institutions run by churches and charities.

"They sent us to a place that was a living hell," victim Clifford Walsh told the BBC.

Oliver Cosgrove was sent to Australia in 1941, one of an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 children shipped there from 1922 to 1967.

"Those who were abused tried in vain to tell others, who they hoped and believed might assist them. But they didn't," his representative told the inquiry.

"This was a systematic and institutional problem."

'Unacceptable depravity'

Aswini Weereratne, of the Child Migrants Trust which supports victims, said there was good evidence that Britain knew of the poor standards of care in Australian institutions but failed to respond.

"Some of what was done there was of quite unacceptable depravity. Terms like sexual abuse are too weak to convey it," she said.

"This was not about truly voluntary migration, but forced or coerced deportation."

Some children were said to have suffered "torture, rape and slavery," she added.

Professor Stephen Constantine told the hearings that royal visits to such institutions legitimised them for people who saw the photographs, believing if it was good enough for the royal family, "it is good enough for us".

The hearings are being held at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in London. The opening phase dealing with Australia is expected to last 10 days.

The inquiry was established following the death of TV star Jimmy Savile in 2011, when it emerged he had been one of Britain's worst serial paedophiles, carrying out abuse unchecked in a range of public institutions.

The inquiry will look at historic abuse in England and Wales, including in schools, hospitals, children's homes, local authorities, religious organisations, the BBC, the armed forces and charities.

It will also examine allegations involving famous people in politics and the media.

The inquiry got off to a rocky start, with the first three chairs stepping down.

British 'barbarians' need manners lesson, says China paper

Yahoo – AFP, May 12, 2016

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II hosts a State Banquet for Chinese President Xi Jinping,
at Buckingham Palace in London, on October 20, 2015 (AFP Photo/Dominic Lipinski)

Beijing (AFP) - The British media is riddled with "barbarians" who would benefit from a lesson in manners from China's ancient civilisation, a state-run newspaper said Thursday after Queen Elizabeth II called some Chinese officials "very rude".

In a rare diplomatic gaffe, the British monarch was caught on camera at a Buckingham Palace garden party making unguarded comments about a state visit last year by President Xi Jinping that drummed up billions in Chinese investment.

In a rare diplomatic gaffe, Britain's Queen 

Elizabeth II was caught on camera at a 

Buckingham Palace garden party making

 unguarded comments about a state visit last 

year by President Xi Jinping that drummed

 up billions in Chinese investment (AFP

Photo/John Stillwell)

The remarks made headlines worldwide on Wednesday but initially they were largely censored in China, blacked out of BBC World transmissions, according to the British broadcaster.

The Global Times newspaper, which is close to China's ruling Communist Party, blamed the British media for blowing the incident out of proportion and fawning over the footage as if it was "the most precious treasure".

"The West in modern times has risen to the top and created a brilliant civilisation, but their media is full of reckless 'gossip fiends' who bare their fangs and brandish their claws and are very narcissistic, retaining the bad manners of 'barbarians'," it said in an editorial.

"As they experience constant exposure to the 5,000 years of continuous Eastern civilisation, we believe they will make progress" when it comes to manners, it added in the Chinese-language piece, which was not published in English.

London and Beijing have both proclaimed a new "golden era" of relations between the former imperial power -- whose forces repeatedly invaded China in the 19th century -- and the rising Asian giant, now the world's second-largest economy.

Xi's trip in October saw a clutch of contracts announced, which Cameron said were worth almost $58 billion.

At the time the overseas edition of the People's Daily, the Communist Party's official mouthpiece, breathlessly portraying the visit as the start of a beautiful friendship.

But in her recorded comments the Queen commiserated with a police commander for her "bad luck" in having to oversee security for Xi and his wife.

Members of the Chinese delegation "were very rude to the ambassador", the monarch said, exclaiming: "Extraordinary!"

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II speaks with Prime Minister David Cameron (2nd R) during a
reception at Buckingham Palace in London, on May 10, 2016 (AFP Photo/Paul Hackett)

'Exposing itself'

A columnist at Chinese website "Today's Headlines" recalled visible mutual discomfort during the three-day sojourn, describing it as "thought-provoking awkwardness" and adding it "primarily arose out of cultural and political differences".

On Chinese social media posters decried Britain's lack of awareness and understanding of Chinese ways, noting "an arrogance which makes them feel they needn't bother to learn".

"Every country's customs are different, OK - not all people must cater to you," wrote a commenter on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo.

Others were ashamed.

"We're already embarrassed by talk about what our average people get up to abroad," said one. "Being embarrassed by our officials abroad is even worse."

The British monarch never expresses overtly political views in public and is known for her discretion, never granting an interview in her 64-year reign.

But her comments came as British Prime Minister David Cameron was recorded calling Nigeria and Afghanistan "possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world", heaping scrutiny on the tete-a-tetes of British leadership.

"Even among Western countries, Britain is most frequently 'caught with its pants down' and 'exposing itself'," the Global Times editorial said.

But it added that it would be "unthinkable" for British authorities to have deliberately leaked the royal footage, as "if they had deliberately done so, that would have been truly crude and rude".

The paper shrugged off the Queen's comments themselves as "not a big deal", stating: "Chinese diplomats surely also scoff at British bureaucrats in private."

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Australia ditches 'out of date' knights and dames

Australian leaders unite for split with Britain's Queen Elizabeth

As Australia prepares to commemorate Australia Day, seven of its eight state and territory leaders have called for the country to become a republic. Britain's Queen Elizabeth is currently head of state.

Deutsche Welle, 25 January 2016

Seven of Australia's eight state and territory leaders signed a declaration published on Monday for an Australian head of state to replace Britain's queen.

Australia is currently a constitutional monarchy with Britain's Queen Elizabeth as its head of state. On January 26 each year, Australia marks Australia Day, which commemorates the start of British settlement in 1788. The anniversary often brings up the debate surrounding Australia's sovereignty.

"It's well past time for Australia to become a sovereign nation," said South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill in a statement. "Any self-respecting, independent country would aspire to select one of its own citizens as its head of state."

Weatherill said it would be "the ultimate act of respect" if Queen Elizabeth presided over the transfer of Australia from a monarchy to a republic. "I mean if you think about it, what are we waiting for? Are we waiting for her to die? I would have thought that it's much more respectful to have her supervise this transition," he said on television on Monday.

The only dissenting voice, Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett, said he also supported a republic but did not think "the time is right."

Republican PM Turnbull

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (photo), a staunch republican, became a leader last year in place of monarchist Tony Abbott. This gave rise to suggestions the change to a republic might become a live issue. But Turnbull, who led the Australian Republican Movement in the 1990s, said "My commitment to Australia having an Australian head of state is undiminished," but that it was not a priority on his political agenda.

In response to Monday's declaration by the state leaders, Turnbull said he believed a national vote would be unlikely during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Britain's 89-year-old monarch.

In 1999, a referendum proposing a republic was defeated, with 55 percent of people voting against.

'Knightmare'

Last year, then prime minister Tony Abbot knighted the husband of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, a move which led to wide-ranging criticism from politicians, public and the media who dubbed it a "knightmare." Abbot's party replaced him with Turnbull shortly afterwards.

Don't forget to Toast the Queen at your Australia Day BBQs, just don't go OTT & knight a prince or anything #Straya https://t.co/67ZZvFePHp

— Tim Watts (@TimWattsMP) January 25, 2016

Current Australia Day celebrations focus on diversity in Australian society with a range of community events and awards. Citizenship ceremonies for new immigrants are also held.

jm/jil (AP, Reuters)

Australian High Commissioner Alexander Downer attends a ceremony where

 Queen Elizabeth II presents Prince Philip with the Insignia of a Knight of the

Order of Australia at Windsor Castle on April 22, 2015 (AFP Photo/John Stillwell)

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