Overview
- Thousands of high school and university students left classes to join organised rallies in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, Adelaide, Wollongong and Newcastle on Thursday.
- The National Union of Students ran the ‘Say no to Pauline Hanson’ day of action and said the protests were intended to oppose racism, sexism and bigotry rather than to be driven by teachers or school staff.
- Senior politicians publicly criticised the walkouts with Barnaby Joyce accusing ‘socialist’ teachers of encouraging students and Education Minister Jason Clare urging children to stay in class, while Pauline Hanson posted on social media telling students to focus on cost‑of‑living issues.
- Some events saw confrontations between protesters and One Nation supporters and police intervened in Brisbane where a supporter was removed then issued a move‑on notice after an arrest was discontinued.
- The protests come as One Nation’s primary vote has risen into the mid‑20s in recent polls and organisers and analysts say visible youth mobilisation could shape public opinion and campaigning ahead of the Victorian state election.