Australia: Thousands participate in anti-immigration rallies, clashes break out in several cities

According to reports, clashes broke out when the marchers faced resistance from counter demonstrators.

Sharing images of the rallies held across the country, March for Australia, the group that organised them, wrote on X: "We did it Australia."

Organiser Mark Aldridge told the ABC the event was about "mass immigration at a time when Aussies are struggling".

"It's not anti-migration," he said.

"The general consensus here is mass immigration; it's just not the right time," he told the news channel.

"Whilst there's not enough homes, not enough resources, I think we need to temper migration down and then have a national conversation as adults about the continuation of migration figures," he said.

One Nation senator Pauline Hanson and federal MP Bob Katter were among the opposition politicians who had joined the rallies.

Sydney

Thousands of demonstrators marched from Belmore Park to Victoria Park near the University of Sydney Quadrangle in Sydney. A counter rally in support of immigrants was held in  Prince Alfred Park.

Melbourne

ABC reported, anti-immigrant marchers and attendees of a pro-Palestine rally clashed in Melbourne as the city witnessed a tensed situation with the police intervening and separating the to groups.

A glass bottle was thrown, which shattered near the pro-Palestine group as the two sides continued to face off, reported the news channel.

Adelaide

Police estimated that around 15,000 people participated in Sunday's rally and counter-rally in Adelaide.

Perth

Tension prevailed in Perth where around 5,000 anti-immigration protesters and several hundred counter-protesters hurled abuse and chants at each other. The police, however, prevented the conflict to escalate.

The government expressed their opinion against rallies and was quoted as saying that "there is no place for any type of hate in Australia".

Home affairs minister, Tony Burke, was quoted as saying by BBC: "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," he said.

India factor

According to media reports, promotional materials used by 'March for Australia' rally organisers mentioned Indian residents with a flyer reading as quoted by Hindustan Times: “More Indians in 5 years, than Greeks and Italians in 100… This isn’t a slight cultural change – it’s replacement plain and simple.”