Yes, this continent was invaded in 1788 – an international law expert explains

Should we remember January 26 1788 as “Invasion Day”?

The colonisation of Australia was an invasion from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspective.

But critics of the name “Invasion Day” object that it emphasises just one side of the story – that from a European perspective the British merely “settled” land they did not think belonged to anyone, and there was no invasion in the strict legal sense. That is, similar to the way Germany invaded Belgium in 1914.

This objection is misplaced. The name “Invasion Day” does not just reflect an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspective. It also reflects the meaning of “invasion” within a European system of law – international law as it operated in the 18th and 19th centuries.