Australian govt condemns campaigns against increasing migration

Australian government has disapproved of the campaigns taking place across various cities against increasing migration of Indians, saying this "brand of far-right activism grounded in racism and ethnocentrism" has no place in the country. March for Australia rallies against immigration were held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, among others, according to the group’s website.

Meanwhile, thousands of Australians took part in anti-immigration rallies on Sunday, which the centre-left government denounced as divisive events linked to neo-Nazi groups. Organised under the banner of March for Australia, the demonstrations were staged in Sydney as well as in other state capitals and regional cities, according to the group’s website. “Mass migration has torn at the bonds that held our communities together,” the website states, adding in a post on X that the rallies sought to do “what the mainstream politicians never have the courage to do: demand an end to mass immigration.”

The March For Australia rally in Sydney, which drew between 5,000 and 8,000 participants according to the ABC, was among several demonstrations planned nationwide. The organisers, who describe mass migration as tearing at Australia’s social fabric, said the rallies were meant to “demand an end to mass immigration.” They did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the neo-Nazi claims.

A counter-protest organised by the Refugee Action Coalition took place nearby, with organisers saying hundreds turned out to oppose the march. “Our event shows the depth of disgust and anger about the far-right agenda of March For Australia,” the coalition said in a statement.