‘Take our country back’: Police on alert as anti-immigration protests planned for August 31
A massive upcoming protest to “take our country” is going viral online — sparking a divisive debate among Aussies.
Police in capital cities are on alert ahead of a series of “Australia first” right-wing protests against mass immigration being planned for August 31.
Flyers and videos promoting the event have gone viral on TikTok and X in recent days, sparking division online.
“Australia, it’s time to rise,” reads one flyer widely shared online, which claims rallies will be held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra.
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“This event is about protecting our culture, our heritage, our way of life and wanting to put an end to mass immigration. Australia first, no foreign flags allowed.”
The flyer claims the movement is “100 per cent organic and grassroots”.
“This event is peaceful and is not intended to incite hate or violence,” it adds.
A similar flyer reads, “It’s time to take our country back. It’s time to defend our way of life. It’s time to defend our culture. Stop mass immigration now.”
It’s not clear which group is organising the events.
“This has all the subtlety of the guy that joins the group chat and starts asking you to post pics of your guns,” wrote former Liberal strategist and failed Tasmanian political candidate John Macgowan, implying the events are being orchestrated by government-affiliated agitators.
A website, marchforaustralia.org, was registered on August 8.
The site invites people to sign up to attend or volunteer.
It lists rally locations as Speaker’s Corner in Sydney, opposite the NSW Art Gallery, and the State Library in Melbourne’s CBD, with other city locations “to be confirmed”.
News.com.au has sought comment from the organisers.
NSW Police said it was “aware of the social media post; however, at this time a Form 1 — a notice of intention to hold a public assembly — has not been submitted”.
Queensland Police also said that as of Monday it “has not received a notice of intention to hold a public assembly in Brisbane”.
“Victoria Police is aware of a proposed rally in Melbourne on August 31,” a spokeswoman said.
“We are continuing to monitor the intelligence regarding this activity. We ask organisers to engage with police about their plans so we can ensure the protest conducted in a peaceful and lawful manner.”
SA Police said it was “aware of the planned protest activity later this month and continue to liaise with protest organisers”.
“Sufficient police resources will be provided to ensure a peaceful protest is held, to minimise traffic disruptions and that the safety of all members of the community is maintained,” a spokeswoman said.
“Members of the public have the right to lawfully rally or protest, the role of police at such events is to uphold the law and preserve the peace.”
ACT Policing said it was aware of the planned protest “and will respond to any activity appropriately”.
“ACT Policing supports the right of people to peacefully protest, however the disruption of business activity or other criminal activity will not be tolerated,” a spokeswoman said.
WA Police has been contacted for comment.
The event is being promoted by a number of far-right and white nationalist accounts on social media.
“Our government have sold us out and have failed Australian citizens for too long,” X user @TruthFairy131 wrote in one post viewed nearly 114,000 times.
“They have broken the Australian Spirit and killed the Australian Dream.
“Australians including our Indigenous population are being treated like second-class citizens in our own nation while immigrants are given priority.
“Our culture, our history, our heritage and our way of life is being erased. Our national flag is being burnt, our war memorials vandalised and radicals are calling for death to Australia.
“Enough is enough. Time to stand united and fight for our country.”
X user @BecFreedom wrote that the rally “is not intended to incite violence”.
“It is a peaceful rally to show our pride in Australia and its culture,” she said.
“If there is any violence, it will come from counter-protests, which I predict will be organised. Anyone claiming it’s to incite violence should be closely watched, in my opinion, as they may be trying to derail the intentions and purpose.
“Clearly, people are attempting to mess with this rally as they are worried about the amount of traction it is gaining.
“This does not make it a psyop, it is gaining traction because people are sick of the state this country is in, they are sick of mass immigration and they are sick of seeing high cases of migrant crime. They are sick of being told that Australia should be abolished and that its wrong to have a sense of Aussie pride.”
TikTok user Emma Elle said in a video, “When did it become hatred to want to prioritise your own country? And when it did it become racist to be a patriot? There’s a growing divide where people are protesting for overseas issues, and that’s totally within their rights, but where’s the same energy for your own country? Australia is falling apart.”
The protests are also being promoted by a number of First Nations sovereign citizens.
Sovereign citizens are a fringe, anti-government legal movement who erroneously believe laws and regulations have no jurisdiction over them.
In Australia and New Zealand, there has also been a growing link between sovereign citizen and Indigenous land rights movements.
“August 31, it sounds like a plan,” TikTok user Alison Furber said.
“Because I am not a cargo. The ship did not give birth to me. I was born to my mother … on land. We will be there, I will encourage all First Nations to be there. It’s about our humanity, it’s about our freedom.”
A number of social media users have condemned the “racist” protests.
“Apparently they want mass deportation, they want white Australia, there’s going to be racial slurs happening,” one TikTok user said.
“Do these [people] understand that this is not their country? I am an immigrant, I am an Australian citizen … Australia is a multicultural land. You guys are immigrants. You came here, you stole their lands.”
Several claimed that immigrants may be in danger on August 31.
“If you live in Australia and you are an immigrant, a child of an immigrant, a by-product of an immigrant, just be wary of your safety on August 31,” one said.
“Let your family members know, let your boss know about your whereabouts, because there will be a protest happening in every city in Australia where people will march for and support the idea of mass deportation of immigrants. I don’t believe this will be a peaceful protest, I believe people will be marching with banners with racial slurs everywhere.”
Another said, “To all African-Australians, please be careful … white people are angry that the Arab people want to take over their country. This has got nothing to do with Africans. Stay away from these protests. We Africans are not trying to take anybody’s country. Don’t go out, don’t march. It’s not your business.”
It comes after the around 100 masked neo-Nazis marched through Melbourne’s CBD in the early hours of Saturday morning, carrying a sign reading “White Man Fight Back”.
The National Socialist Network event sparked outrage from Jewish groups, as the Victorian government pledged to introduce new laws giving police powers to “unmask cowards at protests”.
Earlier this month, a pro-Palestine march across Sydney Harbour Bridge drew an estimated 90,000 people.
Originally published as ‘Take our country back’: Police on alert as anti-immigration protests planned for August 31
