An anti-immigration protest called March for Australia is planned to take place in cities across the country on Sunday.
The march has been condemned as hateful by the Albanese government, and is being promoted by a grab-bag of neo-Nazis, so-called freedom fighters – who gained prominence during the pandemic – and other fringe groups.
What have the government and MPs said about the March for Australia?
The government opposes the event, saying: “all Australians, no matter their heritage, have the right to feel safe and welcome in our community”.
“There is no place for any type of hate in Australia.”
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said: “There is no place in our country for people who seek to divide and undermine our social cohesion.
“We stand with modern Australia against these rallies – nothing could be less Australian.”
Dr Anne Aly, the minister for multicultural affairs, said multiculturalism was an integral and valued part of Australia’s 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.”
Some state politicians – and Queensland federal MP Bob Katter – have backed the march. Some have also said they plan to attend or speak during the event.
How will police respond?
Victoria police said it would establish a designated area across Melbourne’s CBD in case of any violence at the right-wing protest on Sunday.
Supt Troy Papworth, from the north-west metro specialist operations unit at Victoria police, told ABC Radio Melbourne the entire CBD and south to the Shrine of Remembrance would be declared a designated area under the Control of Weapons Act.
This means officers could randomly stop and search anyone or their vehicle without requiring a warrant or reasonable grounds.
The designated area has been declared because of fears some right-wing figures attending the protest near Flinders Street would “cause violence and mayhem”, Papworth said on Friday.
“In a week where we’ve lost two police officers … we are having to respond to [a] protest intended to cause violence in the city,” he said.
He said a pro-Palestinian rally was organised for the area around the State Library. Organisers had been communicating with police and said they would avoid Flinders Street, but Papworth said he was worried the two groups might confront each other.
NSW police have authorised the Sydney event but the CBD will be subject to widespread road closures and huge crowds attending the Sydney Marathon.
Police in other states said they were planning a large presence in response to the march.
Queensland police urged Brisbane drivers to expect delays in the CBD.
The Western Australian police commissioner, Col Blanch, said organisers of the Perth protest wanted to have a “very peaceful” demonstration. But he said the force expected a counter-protest.
What are the organisers of the rally saying?
No group has publicly claimed responsibility for organising the protests.
Promotions for the protest say: “It’s time to take our country back. It’s time to defend our heritage. It’s time to defend our culture. STOP MASS IMMIGRATION NOW.”
The promotional material also says not to bring foreign flags to the protest, just the “blue ensign, red ensign, or the eureka flag”.
Does the Porepunkah attack change anything?
It could. Supporters of the march have been sharing conspiracy theories about why Dezi Freeman, the suspected Porepunkah gunman, was visited by police the same week the protests were planned to take place. Police said they were there to execute a warrant in relation to alleged sexual offending.
Many people who claim to know Freeman have expressed support for the march, online.
