Violent protesters have sparked concerns a major Australian city is heading towards the distrust of police and disregard for community safety seen overseas.
Two officers were injured when riot police were pelted with large rocks and shards of glass as they tried to separate an anti-immigration rally from a counter-protest against racism in Melbourne's CBD on Sunday.
Flash-bangs, pepper spray and rubber bullets were used to disperse an angry crowd that tried to break police barricades separating the two groups.
Victorian police union secretary Wayne Gatt likened the scenes to clashes between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland during the 1970s.
He described the protests as a deeply concerning escalation of violence.
"These (are scenes) I expect to see in other countries, where there is a disrespect for their police, where there is a lower respect for the safety and wellbeing of others in the community," Mr Gatt said.
"I'm not used to seeing it in my country, in my state."
Officers were pelted with rocks, bottles filled with shards of glass and rotten fruit during the tense stand-off, footage showed.
A 30-year-old Brunswick woman was arrested at the scene and has been charged with resisting police and bailed.
Superintendent Wayne Cheeseman said people from the counter-protest, dubbed "United Against Racism: Migrants and Refugees Are Welcome", were "desperately" trying to reach and confront the other demonstrators.
A female sergeant suffered a suspected broken hand and a male senior constable was left with a gash to his leg.
Both are parents to young children and will be off work for the next few weeks.
Premier Jacinta Allan attributed the ugly scenes to an escalation of bad behaviour by a minority of people who infiltrated the anti-racism protest group.
"I'm absolutely clear that what happened with Melbourne was a violation of that obligation that everyone has in a democratic society, that should you choose to protest, you must do so peacefully," she said on Monday.
Ms Allan said police had sufficient powers to prevent unrest, resisting the state opposition's long-running push for protest permits.
She insisted the city remained safe and vowed those who incited the violence would face the "full force of the law".
Victorian Opposition Leader Brad Battin claimed the protest highlighted the "chaos" the city has been facing and called for a mandatory six-month sentence for anyone convicted of assaulting police.
"It is time for a much tougher response," Mr Battin said.
Anti-racism protesters condemned the tactics used by officers to control protesters.
"We are appalled by the comments of police commander Wayne Cheeseman, who praised the far-right hate march," rally organiser Yasmin said.
"It is not peaceful to organise a rally calling for Black and brown people to not be allowed in this country."
Organisers said five protesters were hospitalised following their march.
Police Minister Anthony Carbines said he did not have "much sympathy" for protesters' complaints of heavy-handed treatment.
"You are not going to get pepper-sprayed if you're not right up under the nose of Victoria Police causing violence and disrupting the community," he told ABC Radio.
Chief Commissioner Mike Bush has made restoring community confidence and trust in Victoria Police a priority in his major overhaul of the force since starting in the role in June.
The latest data showed 61.9 per cent of people had public confidence in Victoria Police, well short of the benchmark of 82 per cent.
Similar protests were held across the nation on Sunday, but none exhibited the violence seen in Melbourne.
