‘Sinister’ implications of the flag<\/p>\n
Emeritus professor of history at Monash University Graeme Davison said the flag’s status as a symbol, and what it was used for, had shifted over the years.<\/p>\n
He said that historically, a flag was an object to be “venerated”, but that in recent years, “its significance and its meaning” had changed, in part through its commercialisation.<\/p>\n
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March for Australia protesters in Perth at the weekend. (ABC News: Nicolas Perpitch)<\/p>\n
“Previously, it was something that you venerated, you put on a flagpole and it was something distinct from yourself. Whereas now, I think it’s become almost \u2026 an extension of our own personalities,” he said.<\/p>\n
Inside the yards flying Australian flags<\/a><\/p>\n The Australian flag can evoke a range of feelings, from pride and camaraderie to exclusion and division. Here are reasons why these people have made it a feature of their homes.<\/p>\n “And when it becomes worn like an article of clothing, it’s a way of saying, ‘This is my flag.'”<\/p>\n Professor Davison said that in certain contexts \u2014 such as protests \u2014 this could come with more “sinister” implications.<\/p>\n “It can mean in situations of conflict, ‘It’s not yours. It doesn’t really belong to you, it’s really mine.'”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Professor Davison said while the flag was meant to be a symbol of unity, “we ought to become a bit concerned when it starts to be used as a way of dividing people up”.<\/p>\n March for Australia protesters walk past police in Hobart. (ABC News: Monty Jacka)<\/p>\n ‘Australian flag should never, ever be weaponised’<\/p>\n The protests and counter-protests were also held in Hobart, with the state’s Acting Anti-Discrimination Commissioner on Tuesday issuing a statement calling on “all Tasmanians to support one another and report any race-based abuse or harassment”.<\/p>\n “Our state has benefited from diversity and the contributions of migrants. It is so important we stand together,” Pia Saturno said.<\/p>\n A protester carries the Australian flag at Sunday’s rally in Canberra. (ABC News: Adam Shirley)<\/p>\n The Multicultural Council of Tasmania said while it believed only a minority of people held anti-immigration views, the rallies were deeply disappointing.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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