March For Australia: The “Left” Battles Its Own Creation

28-09-2025: If the rhetoric coming out of multiple self-described left parties is anything to go by, Australia currently faces the spectre of black fascism. According to these self-proclaimed revolutionaries, the March for Australia (MFA) is a barely concealed Nazi recruiting exercise which must be countered lest the country be swept away into a far-right whirlpool. Even though almost every participant in the first MFA is rightly concerned about the housing crisis, the cost of living crisis, the healthcare crisis, the education crisis and much else – while being nevertheless mislead into pointing the finger at high immigration numbers – this is supposedly a sign of unreconstructed racism and “fascism”. Therefore, working people should supposedly mobilise to ensure that any further MFA rallies and marches are brought to a halt, and driven off the streets by physical force if necessary.

Covid, Ukraine, Palestine – getting it wrong

Such a muddle-headed analysis from the so-called left is the ultimate in the pot calling the kettle black. They appear blissfully unaware of their own role in the very creation of MFA, just as they could not countenance their role in the creation of Reclaim Australia ten years ago. The misnamed Campaign Against Racism and Fascism (CARF) in Brisbane are organising a meeting under the title: “Anti-Fascist Organising: Then and Now”[1], implying that alleged anti-fascists confronting MFA today need to draw the lessons from the emergence of “Reclaim Australia” in 2015. There certainly are lessons to be learnt, but the likes of CARF have not drawn anything of the sort.

The political context at that time was the imperialist war for regime change in Syria, where the US and EU (European Union) powers unleashed the horrific barbarism of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) in its efforts to topple secular Syria and take down an ally of Russia, to soften up Iran for regime change. The progenitors of today’s CARF took the almost unimaginable position of backing the US led “dirty war” on Syria, by claiming that what was in fact occurring was a “revolution” against the Baath Party led government led by Bashar Al-Assad. The fact that the only forces engaging in this aim was ISIS, Al Qaeda, and a string of unhinged “Islamic” terrorist bands – and that it thus appeared to all that the “left” was strongly in favour – propelled millions of working people into utter revulsion. If the “left” was in any way behind the head chopping ISIS, then they drew the conclusion that they must move to the right.

This was a driving force towards the creation of Reclaim Australia in 2015, when it appeared that no one could stop the ISIS rampages – with apparent “left” backing. This also led to the revival of One Nation, the right-wing party of Pauline Hanson, which had been dormant at that time for more than ten years.[2] The racism of One Nation had been pushed back in the late 90s and early 2000s, and quite correctly at that time by much of the left and their allies. But the phoney prospect of Sharia Law being introduced into Australia gave One Nation a new lease of life. Today, unfortunately, One Nation has four Senators in the Australian parliament. And, to the shame of the left, One Nation outflanked most of the left by at least driving some opposition to the state repression under the guise of “Covid” – vaccine mandates and lockdowns primarily – while the “left” betrayed all working people by effectively merging with the capitalist state at the period of by far its most oppressive phase on record.

The “left” merging with, and becoming almost identical with, the government and the mainstream political parties during a fraudulent “pandemic” was a step too far. Untold numbers have written off the left on that basis, and many may never be won back. Following the mind-boggling repression of the Covid era with the backing of the “left”, the reformist left went on to immediately flag wave for Nazis in Ukraine armed by NATO from February 2022 onwards. Unable to bring themselves to separate from a NATO led proxy war on “evil” Russia, this “left” today organises a counter-demonstration to the October 19 Brisbane MFA under the headline of “No Nazis in Brisbane” ![3] Though, apparently, Nazis in Ukraine armed by NATO pushing the world to the brink of nuclear annihilation is fine and dandy. This staggering hypocrisy is too much for many workers to bear. How on earth this “left” can point the finger and accuse anyone else of being a “Nazi”, when they clearly have no qualms about the Azov Battalion, the Aidar Battalion and Right Sector running amok in Ukraine – beggars belief.

Then, from October 7 2023, with the slaughter of innocents in Israel and Palestine by the coordinated efforts of Hamas and the IDF (Israeli Defence Force)[4] the “left” leapt into action and have been marching on the streets almost every week since. Of course, a determined movement to defend Palestine against ongoing genocidal massacres by the Israeli state was, and remains, necessary. Yet the “Covid left” in the West led a movement which had extremely poor politics, was not anti-war, and gave at least implicit support to the terrorist Hamas militia. Despite being well aware that the Israeli state (with imperialist backing) created and funds Hamas,[5] the “left” organised an entirely divisive movement which ramped up bitter national hatred and animosity, which working people could not possibly unite around.[6] This faux left also flew the Palestinian flag endlessly, implying that Palestinian nationalism was pure, natural and just – and that all people of conscience must agree.

Culture wars

Again, a movement to defend Palestine against the Israeli state led massacres fully backed by Washington was a necessity. Yet the nationalism of a small country begets the nationalism of a large country, and even the nationalism of an imperialist nation, if that is the only plane on which you organise. And so it came to pass. After witnessing two years of the “left” marching on the streets flying only Palestinian flags, and marching in hundreds of thousands across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on August 3 again with only Palestinian flags[7] – a reaction was bound to emerge. This was how the first March For Australia came to be organised on August 31. While many can understand the need to stop a major war in the Middle East, and while many probably also want it to end, they cannot understand why this “left” is seemingly not concerned about the real struggles many are facing “at home”.

Many who marched in the first MFA are also justifiably sick and tired of the relentless culture wars of the “left”, and the cancel culture which they carry out on top of this. While issues of racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia are not entirely unimportant, the “left” uses these issues to aggressively promote identity politics on top of them, producing the now toxic woke agenda. Again, these divisive culture wars are pursued by the “left” while only making small grumbles about the economic hardships facing millions of workers – stagnant wages, unaffordable housing and an outrageous cost of living. The cancel culture of the “left” is particularly damaging. The “left” appears not to be able to discuss and debate their views, and hurl the labels “far right”, “racist” and “fascist” at anyone who expresses an even slightly conservative or nationalist viewpoint. This can lead to attempts to verbally and physically shut down anyone who does not share the often absurd views of this “left”. As a consequence, many come to view the “left” as irrational, unhelpful, anti-social and violent.

Yes, the March For Australia is mistaken about the notion that mass immigration is the cause of the housing crisis and the cost of living. However, if the “left” screams “racist” and “fascist” at anyone raising questions about the high levels of immigration – let alone waving an Australian flag – this will drive people well away from the left and into the arms of the real far right. The Nazi National Socialist Network (NSN) did appear at the August 31 MFA, and did assault Indigenous people at Camp Sovereignty in Melbourne. Yet this was clearly only the Nazis who did this, not the tens of thousands who attended the March for Australia. And, if the “left” does not change their course, some may be swayed by the NSN, or will at least stay on the path of conservative nationalism. In fact, given the antics of the synthetic left, with their temper tantrums, woke politics and propensity for violence against those with a different opinion, moving to the right appears to be the only option.

Fuelling a fire

In this context, the worst thing the “left” can do right now, is to once again attempt to mobilise to physically block and shut down the next March for Australia on October 19. And yet, this is precisely what is occurring. If lines of police do not intervene, getting into fist fights in the streets with people waving Australian flags who are concerned about significant political issues, is likely to create a real far right – the opposite of the intention of the “left”. If people are repeatedly verbally and physically abused by the “left”, they could – with justification – view the “left” itself as fascist. This is the worst of all possible outcomes, and those on the left considering this path should think again.

What is more, this “left” is almost completely unaware of the internal divisions within the freedom movement in relation to the MFA. On September 13, the sections of the freedom movement (the movement against Covid vaccine mandates and lockdowns, border closures etc) that refused to attend or help organise the MFA because the Nazis were involved in its organisation – organised rallies of their own.[8] Despite being heavily criticised by sections of the freedom movement who dismissed the concerns of Nazis attending the MFA on August 31, these rallies made it clear that Nazis were not welcome and would be excluded if they made an appearance. Despite this, the “left” called counter demonstrations against them – even though the attendees agreed that Nazis are unacceptable. So the “left” counters a rally called against the government which excludes Nazis – and then proceeds to label them Nazis. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

Socialist Alternative dismiss the possibility that those attending the March for Australia might have legitimate concerns, and denounce them as “hard core racists”.[9] The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) correctly recognise that the NSN is currently a small minority, and that there is currently no mass far right movement in Australia.[10] Despite this correct assessment, the SEP is known for mislabelling everyone from Trump and the Republicans to anyone opposing a vaccine mandate as a “fascist”. The Socialist Alliance calls for organising counter-demonstrations to the March for Australia, but also for challenging the official racism of the Labor and Liberal governments, e.g. detaining asylum seekers offshore.[11] Yet this can hardly be done while screaming abuse at anyone waving an Australian flag.

Solidarity can see the harm in labelling every person in the March for Australia as a “Nazi” and inflaming them by organising street fights in small bands. However, they then go on to call for a classical popular front including the Labor Party, the Greens and the Unions.[12] Yet these forces are exactly the ones that the MFA supporters see as the source of Australia’s problems – and they are not far wrong. Channelling the 1930s, Trotskyist Platform go way over the top and call for workers’ defence guards to “smash the white supremacists”.[13] The Australian Communist Party goes the whole hog with overblown vitriol and slam the MFA as “cookers” and “weak gutted maggots”.[14] The Revolutionary Communist Organisation calls for a “united front of the workers to smash fascism”, counterposed to both disorganised violence on the streets and liberal multiculturalism.[15] This would be correct IF the MFA was fascist – which it clearly is not. This can only apply to the actual Nazis – the NSN.

This “left” (along with the liberal capitalist Labor Party and the Greens with which many workers struggle to make a political distinction) created the March for Australia just as it created Reclaim Australia in 2015. Culture wars, cancel culture, wokeism, identity politics, cheering on imperialist wars and regime change, merging with the capitalist state to enforce vaccine mandates and lockdowns and apologising for terrorism – all of this drives working people away from what they see as the “left” and towards the conservative right. In the absence of a real left, a genuine workers party, that is the only direction in which they can go in a political sense. Thankfully, it is not yet towards the real far right and certainly not towards fascism.

The counter-productive hysterics of the faux left is a reflection of the fact that in 2025, liberalism remains the core political ideology used by imperialism in its desperate attempt to stem its decline and potential fall. Those drawn towards the MFA are not “racists” but are sick and tired of having their concerns dismissed as racism. To draw these predominantly working people away from imagining migrants are the issue, the liberalism of the “left” needs to be junked and replaced by a real workers’ movement led by authentic Marxist parties which offer a rational path forward over a collapsing capitalism and the potential of a re-imagined socialism.

Workers League

www.redfireonline.com

E: workersleague@protonmail.com

[1] www.facebook.com/events/1824337241621734 (24-09-2025)

[2] www.redfireonline.com/2017/02/21/dont-fall-for-one-nation-for-struggle-based-leadership-of-the-unions/ (24-09-2025)

[3] www.facebook.com/events/772843272337288/ (24-09-2025)

[4] www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-806634 (24-09-2025)

[5] www.swprs.org/why-israel-created-hamas/ (24-09-2025)

[6] www.redfireonline.com/2024/05/27/far-lefts-palestine-antics-fuel-reaction/ (24-09-2025)

[7] www.redfireonline.com/2025/08/30/australia-far-left-lays-a-pathway-for-the-far-right/ (24-09-2025)

[8] www.thepeoplesrevolution.com.au/events/unite-against-corruption?highlight=WzIwMjVd (24-09-2025)

[9] www.redflag.org.au/article/legitimate-concerns (24-09-2025)