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		</div><p>Australia Day was marked by socially distanced leaders offering calming words as protesters denounced celebrations of a day some dub “Invasion Day” because of historical wrongs committed against Indigenous people.</p>
<p>The 4,000 protesters who gathered in small groups in Sydney’s Domain were warned they could be fined or jailed for breaching limits on large crowds.</p>
<p>But many protesters wore masks and adhered to social distancing guidelines, and only a few arrests occurred for not following police orders.</p>
<p>Protest organisers called for Australia Day, which recognises the day the British navy arrived with convict ships and raised a flag signalling the intent to found a British colony, to be abolished.</p>
<p>Paul Silva, a nephew of Indigenous man David Dungay Jr who died in police custody in 2015, said: “They’re out there celebrating this day like it’s a birthday or Christmas.”</p>
<p>He said January 26 was “the day when our ancestors were murdered”.</p>
<p>Elsewhere in Australia’s biggest city, the usually vibrant Sydney Harbour was almost empty as most of the events were scaled back or cancelled to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.</p>
<p>New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian used a speech in the city to try to calm tensions.</p>
<p>“We must also recognise, as a mature and decent nation, that today is a day that causes pain for some of our First Nations people,” she said.</p>
<p>“We cannot and should never deny any aspect of our history, or the key milestones that have made us the nation we are today.”</p>
<p>People also have been divided over whether former tennis champion Margaret Court should have been given the nation’s top civilian award, the Companion of the Order of Australia.</p>
<p>The award was given to recognise Court’s service to tennis as winner of a record 24 grand slam singles titles and a mentor for young athletes.</p>
<p>But Court’s tennis achievements have been overshadowed by her outspoken homophobic views.</p>
<p>Journalist Kerry O’Brien rejected an Australia Day award he was to receive this year to take a stand against Court receiving her honour, and Canberra Dr Clara Tuck Meng Soo handed back her 2016 award in protest.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Australia Day has greater meaning today than ever before. As a people we have demonstrated our ability to be strong, resilient and compassionate.</p>
<p>&mdash; Gladys Berejiklian (@GladysB) <a href="https://twitter.com/GladysB/status/1353870274907656193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>In the capital Canberra, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison attended a flag-raising and citizenship ceremony and told those gathered that January 26 had changed the country forever.</p>
<p>He said: “There is no escaping or cancelling that fact. For better and worse, it was the moment where the journey to our modern Australia began.</p>
<p>“And it is this continuing Australian journey that we recognise today.</p>
<p>“Our stories since that day have been of sorrow and of joy, of loss and redemption, of failure and of success.”</p>
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