Hundreds of protesters have taken to Melbourne’s streets today, with four separate demonstrations occurring in the CBD. Police officers — including the mounted and riot squads — formed lines near Parliament House to seperate crowds with opposing views edged within fifty metres of each other.
By the morning, protesters from far-right and far-left groups had gathered across the city. About 400 people with a mix of far-right views reportedly assembled at Parliament House, while the Indigenous Sovereignty March made its way from Flinders St Station, chanting for neo-Nazis to be removed from Melbourne streets, per the ABC.
Although there were reportedly no visible neo-Nazi participants today, at the time of writing, those chants referenced a violent attack on the Camp Sovereignty First Nations camp two weeks ago.
Police have been given temporary extra powers until 8pm tomorrow. These include searching people for weapons, ordering the removal of face coverings, and forcibly removing offenders from the city if necessary.
“Melbourne is starting to look like a bar scene from Star Wars, and enough is enough,” Lord Mayor Nick Reece said on Weekend Today.
Meanwhile, chants of “Nazi scum” rang out from the Indigenous Sovereignty crowd this afternoon, as police kept a visible barrier between them and the far-right protest at Spring Street, directly outside the Princess Theatre.
Elsewhere, marchers rallying against racism repeated, “No hate, no fear, Nazis are not welcome here.”
Clashing protesters converged on the intersection of Bourke and Swanston streets, with police spraying capsicum foam at pro-Palestine protesters, per The Age.
The publication also reported that thousands converged outside Flinders Street Station and police are shoving and separating protesters.
Police are not expecting a quiet Sunday either, with two more demonstrations still to come: one supporting Sabah’s independence from Malaysia, and the weekly pro-Palestine march. Traffic disruptions are expected to last well into Sunday evening, with authorities urging anyone planning to head into the CBD to reconsider their travel plans.
Similar protests are happening around the country with opposing protest groups gathering in Australia’s capital cities and regional centres.
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