Police say they are "appalled" by the violent clashes that erupted between anti-immigration protesters using the Nazi salute and counter-protesters outside the Victorian Parliament.
Key points:
- Police and protesters engaged in violent clashes at an anti-immigration rally outside Parliament House on Saturday
- Police used pepper spray and made two arrests
- The rally drew strong condemnation from the federal government and Race Discrimination Commissioner
Officers were forced to use pepper spray to contain the violence in Melbourne's CBD on Saturday, yelling at opposing demonstrators to "get back".
About 20 neo-Nazi protesters dressed in black and covering their faces gathered on the steps of state parliament to demonstrate against increasing immigration.
They were met by anti-fascist counter-protesters in much larger numbers.
Police made two arrests including a man, 30, from Doreen for theft of a body-worn camera and assaulting police, and a Werribee man, 20, for "discharge of missile" and assaulting police.
One police officer was hit with pepper spray and received medical treatment on scene.
"Like the community, police were appalled at the acts displayed in Melbourne today," a Victoria Police statement said on Saturday evening.
"We understand incidents of anti-Semitism can leave communities feeling targeted, threatened and vulnerable. Hate and prejudice has no place in our society.
"Today's protest involved many different opposing groups and our core focus was to ensure safety, prevent clashes and de-escalate any violent behaviour."
Counter-protester Nick told the ABC that violence outside parliament erupted when anti-fascists "tried to get at the Nazis".
"Then they started throwing bottles at the Nazis and that point it escalated," he said.
"The police pulled out the pepper spray. There were some arrests and there was a lot of pushing and shoving."
Rally was about 'ethnic replacement of white Australians'
In advertising material for Saturday's anti-immigration rally, organisers said they would oppose new migrants, "further exacerbating the housing crisis and ethnic replacement of white Australians in their own suburbs and towns".
Australia's migrant population is expected to grow by more than 700,000 over the next couple of years and is largely due to the reopening of international borders following pandemic lockdowns.
The increasing numbers of migrants is mostly comprised of international students and working holiday-makers.
A federal government review carried out last year has proposed changes to the skilled migration program, student visas and employer sponsored visas.
Federal government minister Chris Bowen on Saturday labelled the rally "unspeakably un-Australian" and said neo-Nazis who participated represented a "fringe of political lunatics who have no place in modern Australia".
"It's unacceptable. It's not on. This is pure and simple racism and neo-Nazism is pure and simple evil.
"It has no place in our country, it needs to be condemned and it is condemned by this government."
Race Discrimination Commissioner Chin Tan said the use of Nazi symbols was based in racism and posed a serious threat to community cohesion.
"Urgent action is needed to combat racism throughout this country," Mr Tan said.
"We need to treat racism as a scourge in much the same way we commit to addressing child abuse and family violence."
The Victorian opposition condemned "neo-Nazi thugs and their toxic bigotry and hate".
"This sort of behaviour is completely unacceptable and against the values of an inclusive, tolerant and multicultural community," the statement from Liberal leader John Pesutto and deputy David Southwick said.
They renewed their party's commitment to work with the state government to ban the Nazi salute.
Premier Daniel Andrews flagged in March his government would introduce legislation to ban the Nazi salute in Victoria.
"Nazis and their hateful ideology aren't welcome here," he tweeted on March 20, after an anti-trans rights rally was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis who used the salute, sparking widespread outrage.
The Nazi swastika was outlawed in Victoria in 2022.
Meanwhile, Victoria Police are investigating after graffiti of the Nazi swastika was sighted in Altona in Melbourne's west.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiaWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIzLTA1LTEzL2FudGktaW1taWdyYXRpb24tcmFsbHktbmVvLW5hemlzLXZpb2xlbnQtY2xhc2gtbWVsYm91cm5lLzEwMjM0MjYzMtIBKGh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMDIzNDI2MzI?oc=5
2023-05-13 07:01:57Z
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