Violence breaks out at Australia Day protests

An anti-Australia Day demonstration has turned violent in Sydney on Thursday, when scuffles broke out with police after a man allegedly set fire to an Australian flag.

The 20-year-old was arrested and charged with assaulting police, resisting arrest and malicious damage.

He was granted bail and will appear before local court in March.

The rally took place at Broadway near Victoria Park and was part of the change the date movement which sees the national holiday as an "insult" to indigenous Australians.

"Australia Day commemorates the beginning of the invasion of Australia by the British in 1788, and as such it's disrespectful to Aboriginal people who owned and cared for the continent for 60,000 years before that," protester and human rights activist, Andy Mason told Xinhua

"The social issues in Aboriginal communities are directly related to a history of colonization, if we want a day of national unity that has any meaning, we have to achieve meaningful justice for Aboriginal people first."

People perform Chinese waist drum dance during a parade celebrating the Australia Day in Adelaide, Australia, Jan. 26, 2017. Australia Day celebrations on January 26 mark the arrival of the first fleet of British ships at Sydney Cove in 1788. Photo:Xinhua/Gu Wenbo

But newly-appointed New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian denounced the alleged violence, saying to local media "We have a democracy and everyone has a right to protest, but today is celebrating everything that brings us together, and I think most people would feel extremely disappointed at what they have seen today."

"It's not acceptable to do that on a day like today, however please feel free to express your views," said the premier.

Indigenous leader and former parliamentarian, Warren Mundane echoed the Premier's sentiments on ABC Radio.

"You can have marches, you can have demonstrations, but you don't go around insulting people and attacking people over this."

"If we want to have a mature, sensible discussion and debate about a day that brings us all together as a nation then fighting not a way to do it.

Despite the violence, police said it was an "isolated incident in an otherwise peaceful demonstration."

(APD)