Demonstrators hold a banner during the ‘March for Australia’ anti-immigration rally, in Sydney, Australia, on August 31, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The Australian government on Sunday (August 31, 2025) has disapproved the campaigns taking place across various cities against increasing migration of Indians, saying “brand of far-right activism grounded in racism and ethnocentrism” has no place in the country.
March for Australia rallies were held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, among others, were held against immigration, according to the group’s website.
In a release, the Australian government said, the Anthony Albanese government stands against the events planned for the weekend. “All Australians, no matter their heritage, have the right to feel safe and welcome in our community,” the statement said.
Tony Burke, Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs, was quoted as saying, “There is no place in our country for people who seek to divide and undermine our social cohesion. Nothing could be less Australian.”
Minister for Multicultural Affairs Anne Aly 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,” she added.
The ‘March for Australia’ group’s website says, “Our streets have seen growing displays of anti-Australian hatred, foreign conflicts, and disintegrating trust, whilst mass migration has torn at the bonds that held our communities together.” “This march is a stand for the people, culture, and nation that built Australia – and for our right to decide its future,” it added.
The group in a social media post on Saturday said the rallies aimed to do “what the mainstream politicians never have the courage to do: demand an end to mass immigration”. The group’s manifesto and flyers read, “More Indians in 5 years, than Greeks and Italians in 100”, adding, “This isn’t a slight cultural change, it’s a replacement plain and simple.”
Murray Watt, Minister for Environment, told Sky News television on Sunday, “We absolutely condemn the March for Australia rally that’s going on today. It is not about increasing social harmony.” “We don’t support rallies like this which is about spreading hate and that are about dividing our community,” he said, adding that they were “organised and promoted” by neo-Nazi groups.
Published – August 31, 2025 08:50 pm IST
