Overview

• On 31 August, anti-immigration ‘March for Australia’ rallies featured visible neo-Nazi participation and drew organised counter-protests across cities, including a Sydney action led by anti-racist groups such as the Refugee Action Coalition.
• In Sydney, the route through Haymarket beside Chinatown underscored risks for migrant communities, with the piece noting broader safety fears following an attack on Melbourne’s Camp Sovereignty that injured four people.
• The author reports that neo-Nazis used an open mic to lead a chant of “heil Australia” without police intervention, contrasting this with heavy policing of anti-genocide, Indigenous justice and climate protests.
• Viral clips showed rally participants buying treats at Emperor’s Cream Puffs and dining at The Eight in Market City, a Hong Kong migrant–owned restaurant, highlighting tensions between ethnonationalist rhetoric and reliance on migrant-run businesses.
• The commentary argues that political and media narratives have mainstreamed anti-migration sentiment, citing examples from John Howard, Kevin Rudd, and Peter Dutton and pointing to misattributed blame for housing and cost-of-living pressures.