New Delhi: Australia is bracing up for nationwide anti-immigration protests scheduled for tomorrow, August 31, singling out Indians.
The “March for Australia” rallies, organised to demand an immediate halt to what demonstrators term “reckless mass migration”.
Although the organizers have described the rallies as a peaceful call to halt mass immigration, the “March for Australia” movement with its manifesto & flyers prominently featuring statistics about Indian migration causing “cultural replacement.
Indian-origin residents, forming one of Australia’s largest migrant groups, have reported a surge in anxiety following recent incidents that underscore anti-Indian sentiment.
In January this year, during the India-Australia Test cricket series, spectators hurled racist chants like “Where’s your visa?” at Indian fans, drawing sharp condemnation from community organisations and prompting calls for stronger anti-racism measures. More recently, in July, an Indian student in Melbourne was assaulted in an incident involving racial slurs, which was captured on video and circulated widely, amplifying global outrage and highlighting vulnerabilities faced by the diaspora.
The protests are slated to unfold in major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra, alongside regional centres like Newcastle and Toowoomba.
Flyers circulated by the group pointedly claim Australia has absorbed more Indians in five years than Greeks and Italians over a century, framing it as “replacement” and intensifying diaspora unease.
Online platforms have witnessed a barrage of comments accusing political parties of enabling “infiltration” by Indians, with some users alleging that both Labor and Liberal factions prioritise migrant inflows to benefit elites, universities and property developers.
Such sentiments have demoralised anti-immigration advocates while alarming Indian communities, who fear being scapegoated for systemic issues.
The March for Australia movement, which gained traction in mid-2025, styles itself as a grassroots initiative devoid of formal sponsorships, relying on self-funded efforts like flyer distributions and flag-raising campaigns.
Numbering over 916,000 Indian-born individuals—the largest source of migrants and second-largest overseas-born cohort—the community has more than doubled since 2013, now comprising nearly 3 per cent of Australia’s population. Described by experts as a “national asset,” Indians play pivotal roles in technology, business, education and tourism, injecting billions into the economy through taxes, remittances and innovation. Studies indicate that Indian-owned businesses generate substantial revenue, while the community’s high earnings bolster local markets and foster bilateral ties between Australia and India.