On Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets of 16 cities and towns of Australia to protests against “sharia law, halal tax and Islamization.” In most of the participating cities, the rally goers faced an opposing No Room for Racism group of demonstrators. In some cities, including Melbourne and Sydney, the two groups of protesters engaged in clashes.
“Victorian Police allowed anti-rallies to flank each side of the area they chose for the Melbourne Reclaim Rally event. This effectively prevented the majority of Reclaim Rally people from attending their legitimate rally at 1.00 pm [05:00 GMT] and created a dangerous situation for all Reclaim Rally goers those hemmed in inside and those outside wanting to attend,” the group said on Facebook.
Victorian Police allowed anti-rallies to flank each side of the area they chose for the Melbourne Reclaim Rally event….
Posted by Reclaim Australia Rally — Australia wide on 4 Апрель 2015 г.
According to the local media, at least four people were hospitalized in Melbourne – three of them with minor injuries and one with chest pain. The local police also arrested three people.
Everyone was confused when The Reclaimists People's Front meet with The People's Reclaiming Front #ReclaimAustralia. pic.twitter.com/3YN04AHiNY
— David Marler (@Qldaah) April 4, 2015
Reclaim Australia group noted that in Sydney police ensured that the members of the opposing No Room for Racism group stayed at least half a mile away from the Reclaim Rally, and in Adelaide – banned the anti-racism protest over inciting violence.
Australia has seen a rise in anti-Islamization mood amid the Islamic State (ISIL) terrorist group seizure of territories in Iraq and Syria and the spread of terrorism propaganda aimed at luring Westerners into extremist movements.
In mid-March, media reported that an Australian teen died while carrying out an IS suicide attack in Iraq. He reportedly planned bombings across his native Melbourne.
