Australia: Hundreds join anti-monarchy protests amid national day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II

Hundreds of people protested at anti-monarchy rallies across Australia on Thursday, as the country observed a national day of mourning for the late Queen Elizabeth II. The government declared Thursday a nationwide public holiday.

A national memorial service was held in Canberra and attended by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley, King Charles III's representative in Australia. Both had returned Wednesday from the queen's funeral in London.

The holiday has been marked by some protests that focused on the harm British colonization caused Indigenous Australians.

Australia is one of the few former British colonies that never struck a treaty with the Indigenous population.

The government plans to change the Australian constitution with a referendum that would create a mechanism for Indigenous people to consult Parliament about policies that affect their lives.

Indigenous people's responses in Australia to the queen's death have been mixed. Indigenous dancers and singers started the Parliament House ceremony.

Two opinion polls published since the queen's death show most Australians want to remain a constitutional monarchy. Advocates for an Australian republic argue that this is a temporary reaction to the intense media coverage of a popular monarch.