National Day of Action Organised to Oppose Rising Racism and Fascism

First Nations organisations are leading the Sovereignty Never Ceded National Day of Action taking place across the continent this Saturday, 13 September 2025. The rallies are a direct response to the 31 August antiimmigration rallies, which saw racist sentiment topple over into fascist brutality on the streets of Naarm/Melbourne, and it ended with neo-Nazis purposefully targeting a sacred site.

The Blak Caucus announced the mobilisations at a rally out the front of prime minister Anthony Albanese’s office on Gadigal land in Marrickville last week, which involved a demonstration against the NT Country Liberal ministry’s law-and-order drive. And the 2 September 2025 Sanction the Racist NT Government rally was made all the more sombre due to the fallout from the antiimmigration rallies.

The posts advertising the March for Australia antiimmigration protests appeared anonymously online and were attributed to the Freedom movement, which formed over the COVID pandemic. However, this time, “freedom fighters” were protesting migration not vaccination. And these parades were in response to last month’s massive rally to end the Gaza genocide across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

But soon after the 11 August announcement, the organised neo-Nazis of the National Socialist Network, who’ve been rallying in public ever-increasingly since March 2023, claimed the rally as theirs. And after Nazis brawled on onlookers during the march through the Melbourne CBD, they then attacked Camp Sovereignty: “a sacred place maintained by First Peoples” on Boonwurrung land.

Initially announced at the PM’s office, the Sovereignty Never Ceded rallies are now taking place across the continent, and as Dunghutti man Paul Silva made certain when he took to the microphone out the front of Albanese’s, the news of the neo-Nazi attack on Camp Sovereignty has rung out right across First Nations communities continentwide and drawn their concern.

First Nations-led for all

“On 31 August, neo-Nazis had taken lead of marches across Australia, spreading division and hate,” Silva told Sydney Criminal Lawyers. “So, on 13 September, we will respond as real people, who want real change in the society and government.”

“Our protest, taking place in major cities across the country, is not about hate — it is about truth, justice and equality,” said The Blak Caucus spokesperson. “We are standing against government corruption and the systemic issues that affect all people in this society.”

Silva asserts that those participating in the March for Australia rallies were decrying the increasing socioeconomic issues plaguing civil society in terms of cost of living and housing, while the scapegoating of migrants and in this case, First Peoples as well, was misplaced, and he emphasised that Traditional Owners have been bearing the brunt of the corrupt government since invasion.

At the rally against the NT Finocchiaro ministry on Tuesday night last week, Silva further insisted that the time for non-Indigenous people to stand with First Nations is right now, and he emphasised that regular people have the power to make a difference in terms of the discrimination and racism that his people are enduring by standing with them. And Silva added that “the change starts with you.”

“We must be clear: this movement is not against white Australians in society. This is not about creating division between communities,” Silva underscored. “We are calling on everyone — Black, white, migrants, workers, students and people – from all walks of life to join us. Together, we can stand for real equality and real change.”

Desecration of a sacred site

Scenes from the Freedom movement’s Southern Cross flag-draped antiimmigration marches on Gadigal land and in Naarm show the clear presence of black-clad Nazis, which, clarified the racism and prejudice involved in the gatherings to the extreme. Nazis are clear in their goal, which is the return to a society of solely white people, which has certainly never existed on this continent.

The National Socialist Network members in Naarm perpetrated the attack on Camp Sovereignty, which is a First Peoples sacred site and burial ground that Kratugalung elder Uncle Robbie Thorpe reestablished in January 2024, and it has been prominent in the public debate ever since in respect of reckoning with matters of sovereignty and genocide both on this continent and in Palestine.

Following the March for Australia rallies, a mass of NSN members then made their way to the peace camp and stormed it. The grown men immediately laid into the women at the site, prior to other people running in to help. The choice of the First Peoples sacred site obviously lined up with their message about an “Australia for the white man”. However, the thugs were chased off.

The groundswell of condemnation of the attack and accompanying support has been significant, as people from across the continent began converging on the site, which ended in a festival last Saturday. But questions remain as to why these white men in black, who were armed with poles, were able to make their way from the CBD to the camp without law enforcement concern.

First Nations struggle

“Now, is the time to stand together for real equality, for real justice, and for a society that does not allow racism or fascism,” Silva further insisted. “This is not just a First Nations struggle — this is a fight for everyone. But we must recognise that First Nations people have carried this burden the longest and continue to face the harshest realities.”

“On 13 September, join us in solidarity,” the Dunghutti man continued. “Stand with us against racism. Stand with us against government corruption. Stand with us for equality and justice. Do not stand with neo-Nazis. Stand with the people. Because the people united will never be defeated.”

The Black Caucus states in respect of the rallies that they are being staged against the rise of white supremacy, including the neo-Nazi attack on the site. “Blackfullas have been resisting attacks from Nazis and white supremacists for generations,” it states on the event page. “These are not new threats: they are values and beliefs emboldened since the founding of this country.”

The group further outlines that this racism and violence is erupting while the NT Finocchiaro ministry and Queensland’s Crisafulli government are progressing draconian law-and-order crackdowns that target First Nations youth in particular. This “institutional violence… drips down and gives confidence to those who attack Blackfullas and immigrants on the street”, the caucus further maintains.

“On 13 September, join us in solidarity,” Silva said in ending. “Stand with us against racism. Stand with us against government corruption. Stand with us for equality and justice.”

The Sovereignty Never Ceded National Day of Action rally is meeting on Gadigal at Belmore Park near Central Station at 12 pm Saturday 13 September. Other locations around the nation can be seen here