Hundreds of people washed spit from their faces on Saturday evening after an ugly stand-off at Federation Square between supporters of Reclaim Australia, an anti-Islamic movement, and No Room For Racism, a coalition of trade union, community and left-wing groups.

It's been reported that these were competing rallies. Those reports are wrong. What occurred at Federation Square was trench warfare — with police on horseback holding the armies apart.

Because the police had been quick to isolate the core Reclaimer group on the forecourt of the SBS building, hundreds of late-comers were left to mingle with the No Roomers. Mingling often meant one-on-one screaming matches that occasionally broke out into pushing and shoving. Now and then a stray punch or two was thrown.

Rally against racism protesters clash with Reclaim Australia protestors at Federation Square.
Rally against racism protesters clash with Reclaim Australia protestors at Federation Square. Photo: Chris Hopkins
A Federation Square spokesman estimated 3000 thousand people — many carrying many placards, some of them droll: "You keep your Burqua, I'll keep my clitoris" — went at it noisily for more than three hours.

Organiser Mel Gregson said No Room for Racism was formed with the express purpose of shutting down the 16 rallies across Australia planned by Reclaim Australia. The Reclaimers, on their facebook page, describe their mission as "We as patriotic Australians need to stand together to stop halal tax, sharia law & islamisation."

Betweeen noon and 3pm, The Sunday Age witnessed a prolonged venting of frustrations, half-baked ideas and outright hatred. In the end, it wasn't Muslims being hated, though — it was the white people from each side incensed by the position and taunting of the other.

Protesters clash with Reclaim Australia protesters at Federation Square under a huge police presence.
Protesters clash with Reclaim Australia protesters at Federation Square under a huge police presence. Photo: Chris Hopkins
A young woman taking on two heavyset middle-aged men — one of them with a shaved tattooed head — shrieking, "It's not Islam, it's the partriarchy!"

The men, visibly shaking with rage, let fly with their fears of the country being taken over and their taxes funding terrorism (via dole payments).

It ended with the young woman screaming: "I've just been pushed by a white man."

Police stand guard at Federation Square as warring protest groups clash.
Police stand guard at Federation Square as warring protest groups clash. Photo: Chris Hopkins
After vainly trying to gather witnesses and get the police attention, she linked arms with a wall of No Roomers that had formed in front of the police lines to keep outlying Reclaimers from joining the main group.

Two middle-aged women, both wrapped in the Austraiian flag, both insisting they weren't racists - ``just concerned " - were assailed by a scrawny young woman who called them c---s at least as dozen times.

In fact the prevailing, relentlessly megaphoned message from the No Roomers to the Reclaimers was "f--- off."

Rally against racism protestors clash with Reclaim Australia protestors at Federation Square on April 4, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. Click for more photos
Rally Clashes in Melbourne
Rally against racism protesters clashed with Reclaim Australia protesters at Federation Square under a huge police presence on April 4, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. Photos by Chris Hopkins. Photo: Chris Hopkins
Rally against racism protestors clash with Reclaim Australia protestors at Federation Square on April 4, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. Rally against racism protestors clash with Reclaim Australia protestors at Federation Square on April 4, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. Rally against racism protestors clash with Reclaim Australia protestors at Federation Square on April 4, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. Rally against racism protestors clash with Reclaim Australia protestors at Federation Square on April 4, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. Rally against racism protesters clash with Reclaim Australia protestors at Federation Square. Protesters clash with Reclaim Australia protesters at Federation Square under a huge police presence. Rally against racism protestors clash with Reclaim Australia protestors at Federation Square under a huge police presence on April 4, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. Rally against racism protesters clashed with Reclaim Australia protesters at Federation Square under a huge police presence on April 4, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. Rally against racism protestors clashed with Reclaim Australia protestors at Federation Square under a huge police presence on April 4, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. Rally against racism protestors clashed with Reclaim Australia protestors at Federation Square under a huge police presence on April 4, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. Rally against racism protestors clashed with Reclaim Australia protestors at Federation Square under a huge police presence on April 4, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. Rally against racism protestors clashed with Reclaim Australia protestors at Federation Square under a huge police presence on April 4, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia.
One middle-aged man, a Reclaimer, was wearing a face-mask of the sort favoured by IS combatants. How come? "I don't want any retribution from the Muslims." He believed terrorists would come for him because he'd attended the protest.

Sitting cheerily in the middle of the chaos, literally dancing in their seats, were Emily, 28, and Melissa, 32, from Brunswick. They'd brought an amplifier and iPod and were playing upbeat songs of togetherness, including the Warumpi Bands's White Fella, Black Fella. Their placard read: "We'd rather listen to our music than your racist comments."

Said Melissa: "We just want to live in a country that accepts diversity."

About 2pm, four Muslims fellows arrived wearing T-shirts that proclaimed their religion a peaceful enterprise. Waseemra Razui explained: "We've come to tell people that this is all a big misunderstanding."

Two men and a woman were arrested during the protests.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/so-this-is-easter--melbourne-faces-off-at-antiislam-rally-as-police-on-horseback-hold-factions-apart-20150404-1mel68.html?stb=fb

god these people are peasants

"One middle-aged man, a Reclaimer, was wearing a face-mask of the sort favoured by IS combatants. How come? "I don't want any retribution from the Muslims." He believed terrorists would come for him because he'd attended the protest. "

Pussy.

You want to stop them or not?

-PB

The keynote speaker at the Melbourne rally is a wonderful guy

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/national/abortion-to-blame-for-fires-pastor/2009/02/10/1234028017844.html

The people who show up to protest against these narrow minded flogs are just as pathetic IMO, but at least you can laugh at the bogans.

Although I guess it's harder for some to hide it

WTF LMAO :lol:

sad to say he lives around my area. Also he is a big hypocrite he is a bloody sri lanka immigrant who is a self hating one to boot

Edited by mvfcarsenal16.8: 5/4/2015 09:46:02 PM

Isn't he the retard who started that racist Rise Up party?

The guys born in Sri Lanka and opposed to multiculturalism ffs. Definition of self loathing.

I'm still trying to understand how being anti Islamic is racism? ](*,) fuck, I must be really racist, I hate all religion

I hate religion and I hate bogan racists.....

I guess Im a rare specimen.

I suspect most of us fall into the above category.

Its unfortunate that this protest brings out the worst in both sides.

The hypocrisy of a bunch of neo-nazi christian fundamentalists hating on islam for its......um........fundamentalism.

If only there could be a protest against religion in general.

The problem with the majority of religions is that if you don't agree with them, you are going to hell by default...
whereas the right wing nutters assume that if you weren't born with blonde hair and blue eyes then you need to be exterminated.
Both of these type of groups infringe on the essential basic human right of freedom of speech.

Hardly, they're exercising it - not infringing it.

Exercising it so the rest of society can't exercise it.

What are you talking about?

The Reclaim Australia people organised a protest, and other people organised a counter-protest?

If that's not free speech I don't know what is.

Lets be honest.

Religions tend to suppress freedoms.

That's not at all what I'm arguing about.

But yeah keep fedora tipping if you wish.