Overview

• Coordinated March for Australia events drew thousands in all capital cities and several regional centres, with Sydney crowds estimated at 5,000 to 8,000 and counter‑rallies held nearby.
• Police mounted major operations to keep groups apart, using pepper spray and mounted units in Melbourne where six arrests were made, while three arrests were recorded in Adelaide following a stage scuffle.
• Far‑right figures were present, including neo‑Nazi Thomas Sewell addressing the Melbourne crowd, an Adelaide microphone grab by a National Socialist Network member, and a Sydney sign reading “white unity at every opportunity.”
• Federal ministers condemned the protests as hateful and linked to neo‑Nazis, opposition figures urged calm, and politicians including Pauline Hanson, Malcolm Roberts and Bob Katter appeared at local rallies.
• Organisers’ control remained unclear as March for Australia accounts distanced the movement from extremists, promotional material singled out Indian‑born residents, and the ABS challenged viral claims about daily migrant arrivals.