Deplorable scenes at anti-immigration rally as sacked comedian pokes fun at Aboriginal culture – and protesters are arrested during clashes with police
A far-right "March for Australia" anti-immigration rally in Melbourne on Sunday descended into disorder, with police arresting several people amid clashes and reports of a Nazi salute being performed. The event, attended by roughly 600 people, also featured a comedian previously sacked for mocking Indigenous culture delivering a mock "welcome to country" that drew cheers from the crowd, while a neo-Nazi figure who faces hate speech charges also spoke.
Comedian Lisa Jane Spencer, who lost work in June over a video depicting an Indigenous stereotype sniffing petrol, appeared in character to deliver an offensive parody welcome to the crowd. Victoria Police said most attendees protested peacefully, but a small number engaged in violence, throwing projectiles at opposing groups; six people were arrested or processed for assault, resisting police, offensive behaviour or riotous conduct, while another was moved on for breach of the peace. Police said no injuries were reported and that CCTV footage would be reviewed for further offences. Similar rallies were reportedly planned for Sydney and Brisbane.
- Melbourne anti-immigration rally turned violent; several arrests made
- Sacked comedian mocked Indigenous culture with fake "welcome to country"
- A neo-Nazi facing hate speech charges also spoke at the event
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Australia’s First Nations peoples, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, have lived on the continent for tens of thousands of years. A “welcome to country” is a formal greeting given by a Traditional Owner or Elder to visitors to their ancestral land; it is distinct from an “acknowledgement of country”, which anyone can give.
Immigration has long been debated in Australia, while far-right groups have used rallies to oppose immigration and promote nationalist views. Some speakers at these events have faced criticism or legal scrutiny over racist statements, and parodying Indigenous customs can cause particular offence because of the history of dispossession and discrimination.
The rally brought these issues together in a public event attended by people with opposing views. Clashes between protesters and police can lead to arrests and further scrutiny of how rallies are organised and policed.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of the rally would say this was, at its core, a legitimate public demonstration on a contested policy question – the scale and pace of immigration – and that Victoria Police themselves confirmed the large majority of the roughly 600 attendees protested peacefully. They would argue that citizens have a right to assemble and speak on matters of national concern without being defined by the actions of a small number who turned to violence, and that free expression, including satire some find distasteful, should not be curtailed because a minority of onlookers behaved badly or a fringe figure with unrelated legal troubles happened to attend.
The case against
Critics would argue that a rally featuring a reported Nazi salute, a speaker facing hate speech charges, and a comedian delivering a routine widely condemned as racist mockery of Indigenous culture cannot be waved away as a peaceful protest marred by a few bad actors. They would say organisers bear responsibility for whom they platform and what conduct they allow to be cheered, and that when a crowd applauds demeaning mimicry of Aboriginal culture, it signals the event gave cover to genuine prejudice rather than good-faith debate about policy, causing real harm to Indigenous and immigrant communities regardless of most attendees' intentions.