Thousands attend anti-immigration rallies across Australia amid far-right criticism
Thousands of Australians have rallied in anti-immigration demonstrations across the country, which the government condemned for having far-right connections and "spreading hate."
March for Australia rallies were held in Sydney, Melbourne, and other major cities, leading to several clashes as marchers encountered counter-demonstrations.
A number of opposition politicians participated in the marches, including One Nation senator Pauline Hanson and federal MP Bob Katter.
Australia has recently experienced a rise in right-wing extremism and earlier this year made the Nazi salute punishable by a mandatory prison sentence.
According to ABC Australia, up to 8,000 people gathered for the Sydney rally. Police reported that hundreds of officers were deployed across the city but observed "no significant incidents."
In Melbourne, protesters clashed with attendees of a separate pro-Palestine rally. Among the speakers was Thomas Sewell, a known neo-Nazi who addressed crowds from the steps of Parliament House.
In Adelaide, police estimated that 15,000 people attended both a rally and a counter-demonstration, and stated that crowds were "generally well-behaved," according to local media.
One demonstrator was seen with a placard supporting Dezi Freeman, a conspiracy theorist and self-described "sovereign citizen" accused of fatally shooting two police officers on his property earlier this week. A large-scale manhunt is now underway for Freeman, 56.
The marches were promoted by several opposition politicians, neo-Nazi figures, and some anti-lockdown campaigners who gained prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The March for Australia website states, "Australia’s unity and shared values have been eroded by policies and movements that divide us," adding that "mass migration has torn at the bonds that held our communities together."
The group also expresses concern about culture, wages, traffic, housing and water supply, environmental destruction, infrastructure, hospitals, crime, and loss of community.
Earlier this week, the government expressed opposition to the rallies, warning that "there is no place for any type of hate in Australia."
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated: "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."
Dr. Anne Aly, the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, commented: "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."
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