March For Australia: Thousands Protest Government's Immigration Policies, Impact On Society

Protests against immigration have erupted across Australia on Sunday with thousands participating in rallies under the banner "March for Australia" in major cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and Hobart.

The protests were fueled by concerns over mass migration's impact on culture, housing, and national identity. Thousands of demonstrators, many waving Australian flags, participated in rallies across Australia, with prominent figures from various parties, including Bob Katter and his Katter’s Australia Party, Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts from One Nation, attending the Canberra event.

The rallies were organized by the "March for Australia" group, which claims mass migration is tearing at the social fabric of the nation and demands an end to high levels of immigration.

Counter-protests were held by left-wing groups like the Refugee Action Coalition, expressing opposition to the far-right agenda.

Police in Melbourne deployed riot squads and used pepper spray to separate pro- and anti-immigration protesters, with a nationalist speaker, Thomas Sewell, addressing the crowd.

The Australian left-wing government, including ministers Murray Watt, Tony Burke, and Anne Aly, strongly denounced the rallies, falsely accusing organizers of being linked to neo-Nazi groups and promoting hate, racism, and division.

Protests also erupted in London's Canary Wharf shopping center in UK on Sunday, after a group of masked anti-illegal immigration protesters, some accompanied by children, moved into the area and and altercations with police, resulting in one officer being punched in the face. Four arrests were made for various offences including common assault, possession of drugs, assault on police, and failure to disperse.

The unrest occurred in the context of ongoing national tensions over the government's use of hotels to house asylum seekers, particularly following a recent court ruling allowing the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, to continue housing asylum seekers despite local council opposition.