Neo-Nazis, Dezi Freeman, Pauline Hanson, Bob Katter: What The March For Australia Revealed?
- Staff Writer
- Sep 3
- 3 min read
If there was ever any doubt about what the August 31 March for Australia was about, the anti-immigration protests held across Australian cities—with highly visible participation of neo-Nazis and so-called "sovereign citizens"—were enough to quell any doubts.
Thousands marched through central Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and regional towns on August 31, 2025, waving Australian flags and denouncing immigration, with a turnout significantly lower than the organisers had projected. The March For Australia organisers had singled out and targeted Australia’s Indian Community in their pamphlets.
Politicians like Pauline Hanson and Bob Katter added political might to the anti-immigration protests. Conspiracy theorist, self-proclaimed sovereign citizen and alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman also made his presence felt, with his posters popping up at the protests.
In the days leading up to the march, many commentators had called out the March for Australia protests for being “racist”. The brazen attendance by neo-Nazi groups, most notably the National Socialist Network, led by Thomas Sewell confirmed the true nature of the protests that targeted immigrants.
Sewell was seen rallying supporters in Melbourne, surrounded by black-shirted NSN members spewing explicitly racist slogans.
Politicians Add Might To Anti-Immigrant Protests
One Nation’s Pauline Hanson and Senator Malcolm Roberts headlined Canberra’s event, calling for radical cuts to immigration and claiming to speak for “ordinary Australians.”
Bob Katter, leader of Katter’s Australia Party, was photographed surrounded by hundreds of supporters in Townsville. Days earlier, he had threatened a journalist who referenced his Lebanese heritage when questioning his support for the protests.
NSW MP John Ruddick and WA One Nation MP Rod Caddies also spoke at rallies.
KAP MPs Bob and Robbie Katter, along with State Member for Hinchinbrook Nick Dametto and State Member for Hill Shane Knuth, were pictured standing next to and using the megaphone of a man wearing neo-Nazi insignia.
March For Australia: Neo-Nazis in Prominent Roles
Despite organisers' claims distancing themselves from neo-Nazi groups, the Melbourne rally was openly led by the National Socialist Network, with its leader, Thomas Sewell, addressing the crowd.
In Sydney, a key role was played by Joel Davis, another far-right figure with a history of pro-Nazi rhetoric. Many attendees carried banners and placards with overtly white nationalist messages.
The protests weren’t merely about banners and slogans. In Melbourne, Thomas Sewell and his National Socialist Network escalated chaos, allegedly launching an attack on a First Nations protest camp set up to spotlight Indigenous rights and heritage. Eyewitnesses reported far-right activists hurling verbal abuse and physically assaulting camp members, forcing police to intervene.
Dezi Freeman Posters
The actions of Dezi Freeman— a "sovereign citizen" with links to anti-government conspiracy theories who is currently wanted in a police manhunt—were invoked by some protestors.
Posters endorsing Freeman and slogans referencing broader conspiracy narratives proliferated among the crowds, connecting anti-immigration rhetoric to wider extremist beliefs.
The Aftermath: A Nation Under Pressure
The rallies across Australia drew an estimated 52,000 participants nationwide, according to preliminary figures. Sydney saw up to 8,000 attendees. The numbers were much less than those projected by the organisers before the march.
Federal ministers and state premiers strongly condemned the rallies. Andrew Murray, a senior Labor minister, asserted that "events like these are not about fostering social unity" and denounced the proliferation of hate and xenophobia.
The open participation of political leaders, together with the presence of neo-Nazi organisers, has shaken migrant communities.
Community leaders expressed deep concern about the climate of fear created by the marches. Many noted that the rhetoric of the protests disproportionately targeted recently arrived migrants, particularly those from South Asia.
Experts also debunked many of the statistical claims being bandied about by organisers—such as the assertion that Australia admits 1,500 migrants a day—as misleading or outright false.
The shocking blend of neo-Nazi symbolism, political rhetoric, and outright attacks against First Nations groups has set a dangerous new precedent and sent a clear warning signal to Australians.
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