At least eight people have been arrested and violent clashes have broken out in Melbourne and Sydney during the latest round of Reclaim Australia rallies.
About 500 police were required to separate several hundred Reclaim protesters and anti-racism campaigners at a rally in Melton, the proposed site of a mosque in Melbourne’s western outskirts.
Seven people were arrested at the Melton demonstration, including a 29-year-old who allegedly attacked a police horse and was subdued with capsicum spray.
Three men were arrested for possessing a weapon and two other men, aged 22 and 44, were arrested for riotous behaviour.
Constant chants of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” rang out at the Melton civic centre, where Reclaim demonstrators, some covering their faces with Australian flags and scarves, also sang the national anthem.
Counter-protesters from refugee and anti-racism groups responded with cries of “Muslims are welcome, racists are not”.
Heavily armed officers quickly moved in to quell scuffles and tempers on the opposing sides cooled early on Sunday afternoon.
Fewer turned out to the Reclaim rally in Sydney’s Martin Place, where at least one person was arrested after allegedly writing graffiti on a memorial, New South Wales police said.
Crowds pushed police along Macquarie Street from Martin Place, knocking batons from police belts before officers forced them back.
About 250 people aligned with the Refugee Action Coalition, including parents with young children on their shoulders, chanted pro-diversity and pro-demonstration slogans.
“Next time we are going to make sure we have the numbers to demonstrate no matter what police say,” one man called over a loudspeaker. “See you next time in Cronulla.”
At a rival rally at the opposite end of Martin Place, Reclaim Australia protesters held two minutes’ silence – broken by calls of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” – for victims of terrorism worldwide.
“What is the point in our dedicated Australian soldiers going to wars overseas and losing lives to keep our Australian values … when our government don’t respect the sacrifice they’re making,” said a speaker, Clare Smith.
Dozens of police, including mounted and riot squad officers kept the rival groups apart.
Smaller rallies were held in Brisbane and Canberra, where demonstrators carried a banner bearing the Aboriginal flag and an image of an Anzac monument.
A Melbourne man active in the far-right United Patriots Front, who has claimed online to have links with the Reclaim movement, was charged on Thursday with illegally possessing weapons and a bomb-making manual.
Phillip Galea, 31, was allegedly found with five tasers, a jar containing a small amount of mercury, and a copy of The Anarchist Cookbook.
Sunday’s rallies are the latest of several held this year by the Reclaim Australia movement, which claims to fight the encroachment of Islamic culture and laws in Australia.
Earlier protests were also marred by violence and the presence of white supremacist activists and demonstrators with Nazi tattoos. Leaders of the movement say they have tried to clear the ranks of extreme elements.