A man has been charged after he was arrested at a March for Australia anti-immigration rally in Sydney for alleged hate speech, while at a rally in Melbourne police are investigating an incident of racial abuse where a man allegedly performed a Nazi salute.
Similar anti-immigration events have been held across Australia in major cities, with crowds ranging from a few dozen in some cities to hundreds in others.
It is the third round of rallies under the March for Australia banner, with events in August and October last year attracting thousands of people who called for an end to so-called mass immigration.
Hundreds attended a March for Australia rally in Sydney, marching from Prince Alfred Park to Moore Park. (ABC News)
The Brisbane rally was attended by One Nation politicians Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts and Victorian Independent Senator Ralph Babet.
In Sydney, a 31-year-old man was arrested for alleged hate speech at the March for Australia protest attended by about 2,000 people.
Police Operation Australia Day Commander, Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden, said the comments were allegedly made at an open mic session at Moore Park.
“We will allege the language he used, his presence, was clearly and unequivocally aligned with Neo-Nazi ideology and his presence and language incited response from the crowd generating hate towards a particular group in our community,” he said.
He has been charged with publicly inciting hatred on the ground of race causing fear and is due to face court on Tuesday.
The man was arrested by NSW Police for alleged hate speech. (ABC News: Jonathan Hair)
Police also removed one attendee from the event after they were identified as members of a Neo-Nazi group.
Several former members of Neo-Nazi group the National Socialist Network (NSN) were spotted at the event — including a member of the North Queensland chapter, who was seen in a yellow marshalling vest, directing where a banner should be held.
Neo-Nazi symbols and slogans were seen on full display during the Sydney rally, with one demonstrator wearing a necklace with the so-called Black Sun on it. (ABC Verify: Jonathan Hair)
Signs supporting jailed Neo-Nazi figure Joel Davis that read “Free Joel Davis” — including one with a printout of his face over an Australian flag — were held by protesters at the front of the march.
A large cohort within the group repeatedly chanted the phrase, as well as “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi” and “send them back” — the latter in reference to migrants.
Some protesters brought signs in support of jailed Neo-Nazi Joel Davis. (ABC News: Simon Amery)
Mr Davis, 30, has been denied bail three times after allegedly directing followers to “rhetorically rape” Wentworth MP Allegra Spender.
Neo-Nazi presence acknowledged in Sydney
The ABC spoke to several attendees who listed different reasons for attending the event.
One wanted to promote the spread of Catholicism, one woman said she was worried about “mass immigration” and another man said he was at the event in support of Jewish Australians, tearing up as he talked about antisemitism.
According to ABS data, net overseas migration has declined for seven consecutive quarters since a peak in the year to September 2023.
Police were seen escorting some people away from the rally. (ABC News: Simon Amery)
March for Australia organiser Bec Freedom said she had allowed Neo-Nazis to volunteer as marshals after they had offered to do so — but said they were ejected by police from the event.
“I know not all of you guys like them, I know that. But they’re good people who are fighting for our country, they agreed with our cause and they came to help [keep people] safe,” she told a crowd at Moore Park.
“Now that group recently disbanded, so that means if any of them are here, they are here as everyday patriots.”
NSW Police had a heavy presence at a March for Australia rally in Sydney. (ABC News: Simon Amery)
The NSN announced it was disbanding in response to proposed new hate speech laws by the federal government.
Some former members had been banned from the event by police, in a move acknowledged by Ms Freedom.
“These men were doing nothing wrong. They were marching with us, keeping an eye out for antifa and infiltrators, which they had found several in our crowd. They told police this but were still told they had to move on,” she said.
“They were walked to the train station as if they were irresponsible little children and told they had to leave the city.”
Some protesters carried signs espousing far-right conspiracy theories at the rally in Sydney. (ABC News)
At Sydney’s rally, protesters later cheered when NSN leader Thomas Sewell was mentioned, and said “heil Australia”.
The rally briefly turned aggressive when a couple who booed the protesters while they marched through Surry Hills were rushed and abused by members of the crowd.
The couple took shelter in a nearby pub, which was then blocked off by police, who were quick to dispel the aggression.
Far-right figure speaks at Melbourne rally
About 2,000 people gathered in Melbourne’s CBD as part of a March for Australia event, walking from Flinders Street Station to the steps of parliament.
Hundreds gathered for a March for Australia rally outside Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station. (ABC News)
Many were draped in Australian flags, while others carried signs and banners, chanting “Australia first”.
Police lines blockaded alternate routes, keeping the protesters separate from an Invasion Day rally also occurring in the CBD.
Police lines directed the protest away from Invasion Day rallies occurring at the same time. (ABC News)
Several people gave speeches after the crowd arrived at Parliament House, including Hugo Lennon, a far-right anti-immigration figure who has previously promoted extreme-right and racist materials online.
Before he spoke on the steps of parliament, members of the crowd shouted “Heil Hugo”.
Chants of “Aussie Aussie Aussie” and “send them back” were heard at the March for Australia rally in Melbourne. (ABC News)
Attendees spoke with the ABC and gave varied answers as to why they attended the Melbourne rally.
One man in the crowd attended as a way to protest against the idea of digital ID cards, while a woman attending said she wanted people to respect Australia and to “stop all the hate”.
In a statement about the March for Australia and Invasion Day rallies in Melbourne on Monday, Victoria Police said four men racially abused two people before chasing them and smashing their car window — with one of the men performing a Nazi salute during the alleged offending — during an incident in the CBD.
“The offenders fled prior to police arrival. This matter has been allocated to detectives and will be thoroughly investigated,” Victoria Police said.
Anti-immigration crowds gather in other cities
At least 500 people rallied in central Perth, with attendees raising concerns with the ABC about the pressure of immigration on the housing market and cost of living.
One Nation upper house member Rod Caddies told the crowd he wanted to curb immigration, “a rock-solid ban on foreign ownership of our land”, changes to student visa rules and an “iron clad unbreakable free speech for every Aussie”.
He claimed the Liberal and National parties did not attend because they were too afraid in case the media “pounced” on a “few bad apples” who showed up in the crowd.
Hundreds of protesters joined the March for Australia on Australia Day 2026 through central Perth. (ABC News)
But another speaker targeted specific ethnic groups, saying the country wanted to celebrate Australia Day and not “Aus-Chi-India-stan Day”.
“We must continue to be proud of our Anglo Celtic ancestry as we are the backbone, the base, the root, the core, the anchor,” he said.
“We are the strength of Australia. Australia is not strong because of diversity, that’s bullshit, we are strong despite diversity.”
The man said he was from the Australian Patriots Party, which is not a registered political party in Australia.
The event, at Wellington Square in East Perth, included a speaker from the now-defunct Neo-Nazi movement the National Socialist Network (NSN), who claimed the movement was not violent.
Former Busselton local government candidate Stephen Wells speaks at a March For Australia Rally in Perth, where he defended the activities of the NSN. (ABC News)
He also led members of the Perth crowd in a chant to “free” Joel Davis from prison, where he is being held without bail prior to his trial.
Perth March For Australia organiser Baylie Bergroth, who also gave a speech, has previously denied being an NSN member, but has been linked to pro-Hitler and pro-Nazi social media posts that he defended as “satire”.
About 3,000 people attended an Australia Marches rally in Brisbane, organised by a splinter group that broke off from the March for Australia group last November.
Some protesters wearing shirts reading “foreign lobbying” carried a casket as part of a political statement. (ABC News: Kenji Sato)
Organiser Scott Challen said he separated from March for Australia because he was concerned about NSN involvement.
“The Neo-Nazis, they don’t like me because I represent normal Australia, rational Australia, the Australians who want a real future for their country,” Mr Challen said.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson spoke at the rally in Brisbane. (ABC News: Kenji Sato)
About 1,500 people gathered at Macintosh Island Park on the Gold Coast as part of March for Australia protests organised for other major cities.
About 1,500 people march from MacIntosh Island and to the Esplanade at Surfers Paradise. (ABC News: Emily Dobson)
Amid a sea of Australian flags, some protesters held posters denouncing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The group of about 300 also chanted in favour of ending immigration as they walked down the esplanade to the city’s tourist hub at Surfers Paradise.
Queensland Police says no arrests were made in relation to the march. (ABC News: Emily Dobson)
In Canberra, police arrested a 37-year-old man during a confrontation between Invasion Day demonstrators and March for Australia participants outside Parliament House.
About 300 Invasion Day protesters encircled several dozen people who were gathering for a March for Australia event — yelling slogans including “always was, always will be Aboriginal land” and accusing them of racism.
Several dozen people attended a March for Australia rally in Canberra, before being confronted by Invasion Day protesters. (ABC News: Harry Frost)
Officers stood between the two groups, and the Invasion Day demonstrators moved on after a few minutes to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, while the smaller group carried on to their own gathering on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin a short time later.
A police spokesperson said they had “responded to one incident and a 37-year-old man was arrested with further enquiries pending”.
“The crowd was generally well behaved,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, a crowd of several hundred people gathered in Adelaide’s Peace Park under the banner of Australia Day Matters, while hundreds attended in the nearby suburb of Glenelg.
One of the attendees was Joseph Falzon, who said his parents were born in Malta and people felt they could not be patriotic anymore.
A separate March for Australia rally was held in Glenelg and attended by a few hundred people. (ABC News: Thomas Kelsall)
“I come out here, especially because my parents were migrants,” he said.
“And to show my support shows that this has been a great country for migrants.
“If you want to come here … and do the right thing and respect it, you’ll get respected back.”