Nearly 20 years after the Cronulla race riots, Australia is witnessing a resurgence of far-right extremism, culminating in the so-called 'March for Australia' on 31 August. The rally, organised via TikTok, drew black-clad neo-Nazis who clashed with protesters at Camp Sovereignty, a First Nations site in Melbourne. Three men were charged after allegedly attacking Indigenous activists, echoing the violence of 2005 when 5,000 people attacked those of 'Middle Eastern appearance' at Cronulla Beach.
The Cronulla riots were sparked by a fight between lifesavers and men of 'Middle Eastern appearance', amplified by radio host Alan Jones who called for a 'community show of force'. That event left 26 injured and 104 arrested. The March for Australia's organisers used Cronulla footage in their promotional videos, deliberately invoking that history. The recent violence at Camp Sovereignty, where 38 Aboriginal remains are buried, underscores the grim symbolism of white nationalist attacks on sacred Indigenous sites.
Australia's race discrimination commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, warns that racist violence is 'as bad as it ever was'. He notes spikes in racism during Covid towards Chinese Australians, during the Voice referendum towards Indigenous people, and recent surges in antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Indian racism. 'Our structures are allowing this racism to happen,' he says, pointing to a long history from colonial violence to the White Australia policy and offshore detention.
Camp Sovereignty founder Robbie Thorpe, a Krauatungalung elder, blames Australian institutions: 'They're running around saying stop immigration; they're immigrants themselves.' The march and its aftermath raise fears that history is repeating, or worse, that emboldened neo-Nazis signal a new, more organised phase of white nationalism.
