Australia criticised for banning British families from First World War centenary commemoration

Ceremony to mark the fallen at Battle of Fromelles limited to Australian passport holders, even though there were more than 1500 British casualties. Australia has been criticised for banning families of fallen British soldiers from attending a centenary commemoration of the Battle of Fromelles, a disastrous First World War offensive which has been described as the worst day in Australian history. The battle on July 19 1916 was the first major operation on the Western Front in which Australians participated. It left 5,533 Australian soldiers dead, captured or wounded.
British command, who ignored pleas to call off the attack, has long been blamed for the attack.
Australia is planning a memorial in France this summer but will only allow Australians to attend.
The service has been planned for July 19 at the Pheasant Wood military cemetery in Fromelles, in north-east France. But relatives of the 1,547 British casualties will reportedly be excluded from the commemoration, which will be limited to Australian passport holders.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/12141620/Australia-accused-of-banning-British-families-from-World-War-One-centenary-commemoration.html



So they include the French but not the British.
Such a backward country still unable to progress to the enlightenment of the UK