A group of nationalist activists have crashed a radical leftist immigrant protest in Melbourne where demonstrators were demanding permanent visas for so-called asylum seekers.
About 20 black-clad members of the National Socialist Network turned up at outside the Department of Home Affairs office in Docklands on Friday afternoon where a rally organised by pro-refugee groups was underway.
The group held a banner saying “Fuck off, we’re full”, chanted “Australia for the White man, the rest must go” and sang the German anti-immigration anthem L’amour Toujours with altered lyrics to match.
Banner action against refugees!
📍 Melbourne, Australia 🇦🇺
Friday, 16/08/24 pic.twitter.com/gZRQYgjF0Y— Masked Hersant (@maskedhersant) August 16, 2024
The immigrant protesters chanted “free free refugees” response while holding signs produced by left-wing extremist group Socialist Alliance, and waving communist flags.
Police officers formed a line between the two groups and the protest concluded peacefully.
David Glanz, the Jewish pro-refugee activist behind Friday’s immigrant protest, told the Herald Sun his Refugee Action Collective were working with another far-left group, Refugee Women Action for Visa Equality, which had organised previous rallies.
The protesters regularly demonstrate in front of government offices in the Victorian capital, with immigrants on temporary visas, mainly of Indian subcontinental and Middle Eastern appearance demanding to be able to stay in Australia forever.
‘No borders, no nations, no deportation’
Chanted by migrants today during their protest as they DEMAND to stay in Australia forever. pic.twitter.com/IgTMuTOWpo— auspill (@aus_pill) August 12, 2024
Photos taken by TikToker Auspill show far-left activists present at an earlier rally, one wearing Victorian Socialists branded clothing, signs professionally printed by the Freedom Socialist Party and Radical Women, and left-wing extremist leaflets being handed out along with copies of Socialist Alliance newspaper Green Left.
A migrant protester was also photographed beating a drum with “Free Palestine” and anti-Fascist stickers, and one demonstrator held a sign saying “As a woman, my home was not safe, please bring peace back to my life”.
According to their website, the Victorian Socialists want to “radically reorganise society” and aim to abolish capitalism and create a socialist republic with a classless society.
Auspill was arrested while documenting an August 12 protest, sharing a video showing immigrant protesters chanting “free refugees, no borders, no nation, no deportation”.
The nationalist counter-protest came after 72 activists from the same organisation marched through Brisbane on Sunday, with banners reading “Free England” and “Australia for the White man”.
