Watch These Deadly First Nations TikTokers Remind Aussies Invasion Day Is Nothing To Celebrate

With January comes New Year and, as inevitable as death, Invasion Day soon approaches on the 26th, and Indigenous Tiktokers have already started reminding people why it’s not the day to celebrate.

Invasion Day, AKA the 26th of January, marks the beginning of the ongoing attempted genocide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The event, Captain Arthur Phillip raising the Union Jack in Sydney Cove, was followed and upheld with over two centuries of massacres, stolen generations, stolen wages, and mass incarceration of Indigenous peoples.

Regardless of intention, or of rebranding, the fact remains that the 26th of January is nothing to be proud of. There’s no pride in an attempted genocide.  There is no pride in the white supremacist foundations of white Australia.

No one knows this better than Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. However, despite decades of activism and growing resistance to celebrating January 26, there are many still unaware of the day’s racist roots and the racism it continues to signify for Indigenous people.

It’s no surprise, then, that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on TikTok have already started warning their followers against celebrating the date. The TikToks range from jumping on trends to demonstrate the inherent apathy of celebrating the date, to educational videos on why it shouldn’t be celebrated.

As January 26 draws closer, it’s vital to listen to and act in solidarity with our First Nations peoples. Resistance against so-called Australia Day isn’t just about a single day, it’s about abolishing the act of celebrating a narrative that led to the attempted genocide of Indigenous peoples. No matter the date, celebrating the white invasion of this continent and its surrounding lands is celebrating violent colonialism. We can and should do better.

Check out these deadly Tiktoks on January 26 from First Nations creators below.