Why Australia’s anti-immigration rallies are no aberration

As the fallout from the so-called March For Australia rallies continues, many observers are saying Australia has reached a turning point, suggesting the weekend’s events signal a new era of far-right normalisation and political violence.

Given the overt racism of the event and the neo-Nazi attack on Camp Sovereignty, this is entirely understandable.

A deeper, more difficult, truth

However, we should be careful about framing March For Australia as an aberration. Portraying these rallies as something new and unusual prevents us from understanding how this situation arose in the first place. This includes the unpalatable truth of ongoing racism and ethnic nationalism in Australia.

March For Australia is not exceptional, nor did it occur in a vacuum.

Consider the similarity between March For Australia and other events here and abroad, such as the Cronulla riots, the English Defence League’s activities in the 2010s, the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017, the US Capitol riots of 2021, and last year’s London riots – to name just a few.

Consider also the similarity between the groups involved in March For Australia and other far-right groups such as the Australian Defence League, Reclaim Australia, United Patriots Front, True Blue Crew and Lads Society, as well as their counterparts overseas, such as the English Defence League, Proud Boys, and many more.

These groups often exist for a period and then disband, only to pop up later...

Read more