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Racist anti-immigration protests under the slogan “March for Australia” are being held nationwide on 31 August. These rallies are an attempt to whip up hatred against migrants and multicultural communities.
Organisers have declared “foreign flags” banned at their protest and say they want an end to “mass immigration” and stand for “the people, culture, and nation that built Australia”.
They want to direct anger about housing prices, unemployment and run down hospitals and public services onto migrants. But it is government underfunding and policies that hand tax breaks to rich housing investors that are really to blame.
March for Australia has attacked protests for Palestine, claiming “Our streets have seen growing displays of anti-Australian hatred” as people march about “foreign conflicts” like the genocide in Gaza.
Racism against Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians has surged due to the mainstream media’s bias against Palestine and the demonisation of resistance. This anti-immigration protest risks giving even more confidence to racists in the community to act out.
It is not clear which groups exactly are behind these racist protests, but a range of anti-vax, far right, white supremacist and fascist groups have begun to take credit. Some of these fascist groups have been involved in protests against trans rights, and openly intend to intimidate and harass Jewish people.
The far right is on the rise worldwide, from Donald Trump in the US to the anti-migrant Reform UK party and fascist parties in Germany, France and elsewhere. But this year’s federal election saw Peter Dutton’s brand of Trumpism overwhelmingly rejected here. We need to come together to make it clear that far right anti-migrant politics are not welcome in Sydney, and that anti-racists far outnumber the far right.
Join our counter-protest to reject their racism and division and say no to the far right.