Brisbane, Nov 16 (IANS): A group of protesters burned the Australian flag as part of a G20 demonstration in Brisbane Sunday.

In the past week, the Roma Street Parklands has been the staging point for a string of marches to coincide with the world leaders' meeting, The Brisbane Times reported.

The group of about 50 which gathered in Emma Miller Place in Brisbane said it was enraged by Prime Minister Tony Abbott's comments about Australia's history.

"He refers to this country as desolate prior to the arrival of the first fleet," activist Wayne Wharton said.

"He welcomes the world leaders and tells them there was nothing.

"So we have to resort to symbolism to show our disgust in your colonial leadership," he said.

Protesters formed a circle around a pile of shredded paper as the speeches continued, before six flags were paraded before the crowd.

The flags were ignited to chants of "resist, revive, decolonise" as the rally grew increasingly passionate. No police officer intervened, the report said.