Australia Day Council call over mass anti-immigration rallies
Police estimate 15,000 people joined yesterday’s controversial anti-immigration March for Australia rally in Adelaide, prompting the state’s Australia Day Council chief to raise fears the event will trigger long-term “sadness”.
Australia Day Council SA CEO Jan Chorley today said the state’s migrant and refugee communities would “express sadness that such an event took place”.
“I think what’s really important to understand is that most South Australians really want to see a socially cohesive and tolerant state and nation … so anything that works against that is not in Australia’s best interest,” she said.
While SA Police said crowds were “generally well behaved” at the weekend event, they were reportedly searching for a man who allegedly held a sign at the rally with a picture of accused police murderer Dezi Freeman.
An Andrews Farm and Salisbury East man, both aged 32, were also arrested on East Terrace for wearing articles of disguise and failing to state personal details.
Another 23-year-old man from Christie Downs was arrested at Peace Park for police assault.
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Chorley said that the Australia Day Council would continue to amplify Australia’s migrant, refugee and First Nations histories in response to Sunday’s event that called for an end to “mass immigration”.
Asked if she would like to see the government do more to combat extremist ideologies, Chorley said the state, federal and local governments were doing everything they could to promote social cohesion and celebrate multiculturalism.
“We give expression to the ever-evolving story of our nation, and we reflect on being part of a very proud ancient cultural heritage with our First Nations people; that we’re a country that has been shaped by our multicultural history, which Australians cherish and value,” she said.
“Everyone knows that our country has had so much of an incredible influence from the many people who come from different lands and places, and we celebrate that as a state and we celebrate that as a nation, and yesterday worked against that.
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“We support respectful and peaceful expression of our nation’s democratic values and freedoms.”
Premier Peter Malinauskas said he was proud of his immigrant heritage, and most of the about “97.6 per cent” of South Australians with similar heritage felt the same way.
“The people who are protesting … are naïve to this state and this nation’s own history,” he said.
“Let me make this perfectly clear – the overwhelming majority of South Australians don’t just tolerate diversity and multiculturalism, we celebrate it. It is part of who we are. It is not just something that is part of our social fabric; it is the very essence of our social fabric.”
Malinauskas rejected the views of the hard right and extremists “who seek to diminish those so many people who have migrated to our country and made a magnificent contribution, who have contributed culturally, economically and socially in every respect”.
“My message to multicultural communities around the state today is you are very much a critical piece of our social infrastructure and you add to our state, and most South Australians are exceptionally grateful for it,” he said.
“But the people who are protesting (on the weekend) would do well to familiarise themselves with our own history. Instead, they seek to diminish it and deny it in a way that is unbecoming for them.”
