rki.news
SYDNEY, Aug. 31 – Thousands of people attended anti-immigration rallies across major Australian cities over the weekend, events the federal government condemned as far-right driven and “spreading hate.”
The “March for Australia” demonstrations were staged in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and other centers, drawing counter-protests and heavy police deployments. Authorities estimated up to 8,000 participants in Sydney and 15,000 combined demonstrators and counter-protesters in Adelaide. Police reported no major incidents, though scuffles broke out in Melbourne where the march coincided with a pro-Palestine rally.
Among the participants were opposition figures, including One Nation senator Pauline Hanson and MP Bob Katter. Speakers included Thomas Sewell, a known neo-Nazi, who addressed crowds in Melbourne from the steps of Parliament House. Some demonstrators carried placards supporting Dezi Freeman, a conspiracy theorist wanted for killing two police officers earlier in the week.
The rallies, promoted by far-right activists and former anti-lockdown campaigners, cited grievances ranging from migration and wages to housing, infrastructure and crime. On its website, March for Australia claimed “mass migration has torn at the bonds of community.”
Government ministers strongly denounced the events. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said there was “no place for any type of hate in Australia.” Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly added that “far-right activism grounded in racism and ethnocentrism has no place in modern Australia.”