Thousands of people have rallied in cities and towns across Australia to back a campaign to recognize the country’s Indigenous people in the constitution in advance of a referendum later this year.
The gatherings on Sunday, organized by the Yes23 campaign, were part of a nationwide “day of action” to rally the public after a recent dip in support for the constitutional change.
The proposal, which will be put up for a referendum between October and December, seeks to establish an advisory body—the Indigenous Voice to Parliament—to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a direct say in policies that affect them.
Yes23, the group behind more than 25 rallies nationwide, said the crowd in Sydney was about 3,000 and that it expected up to 25,000 people to participate in total.
Fred Pascoe, director of the Gulf Regional Economic Aboriginal Trust, told Al Jazeera the referendum was critical for Indigenous rights in Australia.
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