Protests Erupt in Multiple Australian Cities, Chiefly Melbourne, Over Immigration Concerns, with Demonstrators Urging Halting of 'Mass Migration'
In major cities across Australia, thousands of people rallied to demand an end to what they called "mass immigration". The events, organised by the group "March for Australia", took place in cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.
However, the rallies, which also saw the attendance of far-right Australian Senator Pauline Hanson and Bob Katter, the leader of a small populist party, were met with counter-protests and violent clashes. In Melbourne, about 5,000 protesters and counter-protesters gathered, leading to multiple instances of violence that prompted the police to deploy the riot squad.
Aly, the Australian Minister of Multicultural Affairs, stated that the protesters were not protesting immigration from white Western countries. Despite this, the speakers at the rally in Melbourne included Thomas Sewell, a prominent Australian neo-Nazi. The Australian Associated Press news agency also reported on the violence in Melbourne.
The Australian government and Aly have condemned the rallies as racist and organised by Nazis. Australia's Greens deputy leader and spokesperson for antiracism, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, called the rallies "acts of racist fear mongering and hate". Faruqi also criticized the Labor government for its "racist dog-whistling on migrants and refugees" and its crackdown on pro-Palestine protesters.
The violence in Melbourne saw Thomas Sewell and a group of men wearing black attacking an Indigenous protest camp called Camp Sovereignty. Police did not arrive until after the attackers had left and made no arrests. At least six people were arrested in Melbourne for charges including assault. Four people were injured in the attack on Camp Sovereignty, including a woman who was taken to the hospital.
Critics express concern over a rise in right-wing extremism in Australia, where one in two people is either born overseas or has a parent born overseas. The Australian spy agency has warned that far-right groups are on the rise in Australia and have become more organised and visible.
Laws banning the Nazi salute and the display or sale of symbols associated with terror groups came into effect in Australia this year in response to a string of anti-Semitic attacks. Glenn Allchin, a protester at the "March for Australia" rally in Melbourne, expressed a desire for a "slowdown" in immigration.
The group behind "March for Australia" claims that "mass migration has torn at the bonds that held our communities together" and aims to demand an end to mass immigration. The Refugee Action Coalition, a community activist organization, held a counter-rally in Sydney.
The "March for Australia" has announced its next public event, with plans to take place in multiple cities across Australia. The events have sparked debate and concern over the rise of right-wing extremism and the impact of immigration on Australian communities.
