Sigh. This was really sad. My family and I went to this today in Brisbane, our best friend said their friends were afraid to go out to lunch with them today, because their parents were verbally assaulted in a grocery store on Friday for being immigrants.
My husband stood there in his suit, I stood in my pretty dress with flowers, our daughters held signs that said things like “so bad even the introverts are here”.
The March was not peaceful and was definitely racist. We started off to the side, sitting with flags my daughters and I made with hundreds of countries on them, and eventually we were swarmed as the crowd veered to come right past us.
They screamed obscenities at us, pushed into me, pushed my husband, tried to rip the sign from his hands. They ripped down the flags we made. Blew an air horn in our faces.
Many claimed they were not racist but my husband got called a f-ing Jew multiple times??? Maybe it was the beard and the hat, I don’t know.
Eventually police came and stood in front of us while we packed our things and left. We would do it again, in a heartbeat.
Before the rowdy crowd came looking for trouble we had immigrants come up and thank us, hug us, and we want them to know that not everyone agrees with this march.
Not wanting immigration is not what this march was about. This march was about fear and racism.
Sasha@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 days ago
Yesterday was absolutely fucked down here in Naarm.
Our counter protest was completely crushed by cops, the fascist rally was given space and free roam of the city. In the end, it empowered the nazis so much that they charged on camp sovereignty and seriously injured people, it was a full on war at one point, cops did nothing.
A Nazi spoke at the rally and was met with cheers. At one point they sent a group to chase after me when I was leaving the CBD. It was really disappointing to see kids in their group just projecting nothing but hate for everyone around them.
I’m still recovering physically from everything yesterday, it was easily the most intense protest I’ve been at. Absolutely unbelievable to see, but I’m honestly not surprising. This is a racist country and it always has been.