Thousands of Australians on Sunday joined demonstrations against immigration across the country, sparking widespread concern as materials circulating around the rallies specifically targeted Indian migrants—a move the government swiftly denounced as hate-driven and connected to neo-Nazi groups.
Promotional flyers for “March for Australia” rallies highlighted Indian migrants, a group that now comprises over three percent of Australia’s population, according to census figures.
One flyer read: “More Indians in 5 years, than Greeks and Italians in 100 And that’s just from one country we know migration has a cultural impact. This isn’t a slight cultural change – it’s replacement plain and simple. Australia is not an economic zone to be exploited by international finance.”
The emphasis on Indians was further fuelled by a pre-event Facebook post, citing census data that showed the Indian population had doubled from 2013 to 2023, reaching around 845,800 residents.
Organisers behind “March for Australia” claimed that mass migration has “torn at the bonds that held our communities together”.
Through social platforms like X, the group expressed their determination to demand an end to mass immigration, something which mainstream politicians “never have the courage to do”. They also asserted that their efforts were “grassroots and organic,” rejecting any affiliation with other organizations.
Major rallies were held in cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, and several others. In Sydney, estimates suggested between 5,000 and 8,000 people joined near the city marathon route, many draped in national flags. Hundreds also gathered for a counter-rally organised by the Refugee Action Coalition, with a spokesperson saying, “Our event shows the depth of disgust and anger about the far-right agenda of March For Australia”.
Authorities in Sydney deployed hundreds of officers, concluding the day without major incidents.
In Melbourne, protestors assembled outside Flinders Street station bearing Australian flags and anti-immigration placards before marching to the Parliament. Among those addressing the rally was Thomas Sewell, a well-known neo-Nazi figure, who declared, “If we do not stop immigration, then our death is certain”.
Tensions rose as police clashed with opposing demonstrators, using pepper spray, baton rounds, and public order munitions. Six arrests were made, and two officers sustained injuries during the confrontations.
Smaller gatherings were held in Canberra, where a few hundred rallied at a lake facing Parliament House, and in Queensland, federal MP Bob Katter attended a Townsville event, reportedly “swarmed with hundreds of supporters” days after he clashed with a reporter who mentioned his Lebanese heritage. Canberra’s rally also saw the participation of One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and Senator Malcolm Roberts.
Amid the national debate, some protestors expressed frustration with public services. Sydney participant Glenn Allchin remarked, “It’s about our country bursting at the seams and our government bringing more and more people in. Our kids struggling to get homes, our hospitals—we have to wait seven hours—our roads, the lack of roads”.
Australian Govt Condemns Rallies
Political leaders condemned the rallies from across the spectrum. Federal Labour minister Murray Watt told Sky News, “We absolutely condemn the March for Australia rally that’s going on today; it’s not about increasing social harmony. We don’t support rallies like this that are about spreading hate and that are about dividing our community,” adding that neo-Nazi groups were behind its organisation and promotion.
Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke echoed similar sentiments, saying, “There is no place in our country for people who seek to divide and undermine our social cohesion. We stand with modern Australia against these rallies—nothing could be less Australian”.
Multicultural Affairs, minister Dr Anne Aly said: “We stand with all Australians, no matter where they were born, against those who seek to divide us and who seek to intimidate migrant communities. We will not be intimidated. This brand of far-right activism grounded in racism and ethnocentrism has no place in modern Australia”.
The Australian Council of Social Services also spoke against the rallies, with CEO Cassandra Goldie affirming, “Australia’s diversity is a great strength, not a threat. There is no place in Australia for ideology that targets people because of who they are, where they come from or what they believe”.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley released a video before the rallies, declaring, “There is no place for violence, racism or intimidation. Whether incited from afar or stirred up here, we cannot let hatred and fear tear at our social cohesion”.
Shadow attorney general Julian Leeser cautioned that while some attendees may have sought reasonable policy changes, they should be wary of the company they keep, expressing worry about “the anti-Indian sentiment that is being expressed and some of the antisemitic undertones of some of those protests”.
Australia, with nearly half its population either born overseas or having a parent born abroad, has witnessed a spike in far-right activities lately. The government responded to a series of antisemitic attacks following the escalation of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023 by enacting new laws this year prohibiting the Nazi salute and banning the display or sale of extremist symbols, with breaches carrying mandatory prison sentences.
