One of the organisers of the upcoming rallies against mass immigration has admitted the Sydney march cannot proceed on the Harbour Bridge as planned because the Sydney Marathon is scheduled on the same day.
Tens of thousands of self-described patriotic ns have vowed to take to the streets on August 31 to oppose mass immigration, with rallies confirmed in six capital cities across the country.
The Sydney march was originally planned to cross the Harbour Bridge, with organisers hoping to mirror the pro-Palestine rally earlier this month that involved 90,000 protesters and brought the CBD to a standstill.
But in a major planning blunder, the rally clashes with the marathon – which crosses the bridge – and the weekly pro-Palestine protest in the CBD, so organisers have relocated the event to Belmore Park, next to Central Station.
It’s understood the August 31 date was chosen by the university student who launched the movement online, without checking the bridge’s availability.
‘Unfortunately, when a date gets put out there randomly like that, the person had no idea what was on in terms of events in each state,’ Sydney rally organiser ‘Bec Freedom’ told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.
‘Unfortunately, the roads are blocked off already but we’ll be continuing to meet up in Belmore Park and continuing on with the march, which is completely approved by police.
‘They’ve been working with me, and it’s been great.
‘As good as it would have been to have it on the bridge, we can’t. There’s a marathon on, which happens every single year.’
Under the Albanese government, a staggering 457,560 permanent and long-term immigrants arrived in last financial year.
That figure included international students who commonly take low-wage jobs while studying, and apply for long-term residency when their course is completed.
The record inflows of immigrants have been the major factor in the exponential rise of house prices, consequent mortgage debt, and rental shortages.
While those factors had sparked resentment among some, left-wing social commentator Abbie Chatfield urged ns to reject the protests.
‘They claim that it is about cost of living, they claim that it is about gaining itself back, winning back, taking back – from whom, no one knows,’ she said.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke also condemned the rally as ‘un-n.’
‘There is no place in our country for people who seek to divide and undermine our social cohesion,’ he said.
Although the March for flyer insists the event is ‘peaceful and not intended to incite hate or violence,’ Bec Freedom has faced backlash over leaked audio from an X Spaces chat in which nationalists needed to use violent confrontation akin to the 2005 Cronulla riots.
‘We need violence, I’m sorry, but we need f**king violence,’ she was heard saying.
‘We’ve done peaceful, peaceful hasn’t done s**t. I don’t think that anything significant is going to change unless something like that does happen again. Until we stand up and do something like that day, I think it’s just going to be repeating.’
Fordham confronted her about the comments.
Freedom, who has refused to reveal her real name to protect her safety, apologised for making the comments but claimed that Fordham had taken the clip ‘out of context’.
‘The fact is, if we’re talking about August 31, I’m liaising with the police, I’m making sure our protests avoid the Palestinians for that reason, because my goal is to make sure everyone stays safe,’ she said.
‘That is what I said, yes, and I’ve since apologised for putting fear into anyone. That was not my intent. It was taken the wrong way.’