Australia’s streets turned into battlegrounds on Sunday as far-right agitators, fringe conspiracy theorists and self-styled “patriots” rallied under the banner of March for Australia.
In Melbourne, the city’s heart was choked by a sea of Australian flags and anti-immigration placards, the rally led by extremists including a neo-Nazi who proudly boasted “his men” had marshalled the march. “If we do not stop immigration, then our death is certain,” declared Thomas Sewell, one of the most notorious figures of Australia’s far-right fringe.
The gathering was no grassroots demonstration but a toxic convergence of hate: promoted online by neo-Nazis, fuelled by pandemic anti-lockdown personalities and fringe groups searching for a megaphone.
While the federal government denounced the events as “un-Australian,” the rallies still drew political figures including Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts of One Nation in Canberra, and Bob Katter in Townsville.
Their presence gave legitimacy to movements described by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke as “less Australian than anything I can imagine.”
A Divided Melbourne
At Flinders Street Station, anti-immigration demonstrators squared off with a counter-protest that had merged with the city’s weekly pro-Palestine rally and antifascist activists. Police scrambled to hold the line, erecting barricades three officers deep and deploying mounted units.
Despite the heavy presence, tensions erupted. A bottle hurled from the anti-immigration camp shattered at the feet of counter-demonstrators; a can of beer arced over police shields. Riot officers pepper-sprayed about a dozen counter-protesters as chaos rippled through the crowd.
Still, the rally pressed onwards to the steps of state parliament, where slogans of “Albo must go” and “Aussie Aussie Aussie” thundered through loudspeakers and throats. One speaker proclaimed: “Australians are sick and tired of the rising tide of mass immigration in this country.”
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan condemned the spectacle in advance. “No one who has ever tried to divide this country has ever succeeded,” she said. “Because the promise of multiculturalism is so much stronger.”
By nightfall, Victoria Police confirmed six arrests on charges ranging from assault and attempted robbery to resisting police. Two officers were struck by flying bottles, though neither required hospitalisation. “There is absolutely no place for any of this violent and disruptive behaviour in Victoria,” police said in a statement.
But the violence did not end there. Hours after the rally, far-right demonstrators descended on Camp Sovereignty at King’s Domain, where First Nations activists have maintained a long-standing protest site. Video circulating online shows a group of men in black clashing with camp supporters and stomping on an Aboriginal flag. Neo-Nazi figure Thomas Sewell was among those present.
Organisers said four people were injured, with Ambulance Victoria confirming a woman in her 30s was taken to hospital with upper body injuries. Victoria’s police minister, Anthony Carbines, condemned the incident as “disgraceful.” “Nobody’s going to stand for that. People went there with an intent to cause trouble, police dealt with them and we’ll continue to call that out,” he said. Police have since launched an investigation and are in contact with First Nations leaders.
Sydney, Canberra and Beyond
The ugliness was not confined to Melbourne. In Sydney, police juggled the anti-immigration rally alongside the annual marathon and the pro-Palestine march. While only one arrest was made on the day, a violent brawl later erupted at a Broadway bar, leading to charges of affray and assaulting police. Footage showed pepper spray, chaos and a shirtless man wrestling with officers.
Among the Sydney crowd was a surprising face: Survivor contestant Steve Khouw. Born in China, raised in Indonesia and having migrated to Australia at the age of nine, Khouw defended his attendance, saying: “I’m down here simply because I’m a proud Aussie… don’t call me racist. Look at my face am I racist?” He went on: “I support immigration but in a [controlled] manner, right now you just can’t do it!”
Khouw’s background made his comments all the more jarring, neatly capturing the uneasy contradictions at the heart of the nationwide rallies — an immigrant at a Sydney protest aligned with a movement that, in Melbourne, had been openly amplified by neo-Nazis.
His denial highlighted how participants sought to reframe exclusionary rhetoric as patriotism, a reminder of how far-right activism launders itself as the voice of “ordinary Australians.”
In Canberra, a smaller but no less fervent crowd draped themselves in flags at the edge of Lake Burley Griffin. From there, they chanted within sight of Parliament House, cheered on by Hanson and Roberts.
Condemnation From the Top
Federal ministers were unequivocal. Anne Aly, Minister for Multiculturalism and herself an immigrant, said: “Multiculturalism is an integral and valued part of our national identity.
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.”
Burke echoed the sentiment: “There is no place in our country for people who seek to divide and undermine our social cohesion.”
A Battle for Australia’s Identity
The weekend’s marches laid bare a troubling reality: far-right nationalism is no longer lurking in the shadows but marching brazenly down the nation’s main streets. While they wrapped themselves in flags and chants of “Aussie Aussie Aussie,” the message was unmistakable — exclusion, division and hate.
For every bottle hurled and slogan shouted, thousands of Australians pushed back, insisting multiculturalism is not a threat but the foundation of the nation’s strength. The question now is whether the country will allow extremists to hijack patriotism — or call them out for what they are: racists cloaked in red, white and blue.
