Locals responded with shock after the Cobblers Falcon pub in Mandurah, Western Australia, appeared to fly two communist China flags on Australia Day.
But the hotel, part of the Hong Kong-owned Australian Venue Co, denied having any role in the flying of the flags, which it is believed were hung just after closing time on Jan. 25.
They remained in place until 8 a.m. on Jan. 26.
“You may have seen some reports of flags being hung outside our venue,” they said in a statement on Facebook.
“We would like to clarify that the flags were hung without our knowledge or permission.
“They were promptly removed by our staff.”
Australian Venue Co. received pressure in December when it announced its 200 venues would “ban” any celebration of Australia Day citing potential offence to Indigenous Australians.
Instead of being listed as Australia Day events, they were slated as “long weekend” celebrations and featured generic iconography like flowers and musical instruments.
The move to ban Australia Day sparked criticism from politicians including Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Liberal Senator Jacinta Price, who both questioned why the company should profit from events on Australia Day if it was unwilling to acknowledge the holiday.
Australian Venue Co.’s head office is located in the heavily progressive inner-city Melbourne area.
Student activist Drew Pavlou highlighted the recent incident on Australia Day.
“The pub was bought by a Hong Kong investment firm called PAG in a deal involving more than 200 Australian venues. PAG then immediately banned Australia Day celebrations at the venues,” he said on X.
“PAG is chaired by Weijian Shan, a vocal supporter of the CCP who has defended China’s ‘war on terror’ against Uyghurs and its ’territorial claims’ over Taiwan.”
Shan penned the opinion article in the South China Morning Post in 2021.
Australia Day Under Scrutiny
The national holiday has been the subject of debate for years, with activists annual marching in the streets against the celebrations.People who are against Australia Day argue the date signifies the colonisation of the country by European explorers.
But others argue the day is one of unity, and recognising Australia’s achievements and lifestyle.
Over the Australia Day long weekend, some radical protesters who had joined with pro-Palestinian groups held up signs calling for the death of Australia.
In the days leading up to Australia Day, South Australian Premier Pater Malinauskas said Australians were becoming tired of expecting a fierce debate every year.
“I think part of the problem of the debate is the tone in which it’s conducted, it seems to be conducted in a tone where people aren’t respectful of one another’s opinions,” he said.
“That it’s more about throwing red meat at people to get angry about a topic, than it is about having a civil discourse respecting different points of view.
“I think that’s what’s tired, is the tone of the debate.”
