After planning an anti-migrant, anti-Muslim rally in 2010 and then failing to show up on the day, the racist Australian Defence League (ADL) staged a rally in Melbourne on May 15.
After the Herald Sun said the rally was against Islam and immigrants, the ADL re-titled its protest to one of opposition to sharia law, hoping to disguise its racism and win more support.
About 20 to 30 ADL supporters turned up at the protest with big Australian flags. Some members covered themselves with big black sheets to impersonate women who wear the burqa.
Other ADL supporters held placards opportunistically declaring that Islam is anti-women and anti-gay 鈥 as if the ADL cares about women鈥檚 or gay rights.
One of the ADL protesters called someone from the counter-protest a 鈥渇aggot鈥.
ADL placards also condemned the selling of halal meat and declared that 鈥淚slam is a religion and not a race鈥, implying, therefore, that it is OK to be anti-Islam.
This is not believable as the only reason ADL is so anti-Muslim is because it perceives it as a 鈥渘on-white鈥 religion.
About 150 socialists, unionists and others joined a counter-rally titled Rally against Racism and Fascism.
The counter-rally outnumbered the racists and eventually succeeded in forcing the ADL to leave the square.
This was an important victory because the ADL鈥檚 brand of extreme, right-wing racism is using the racist political climate fostered by the major parties to grow the far-right.
Video:聽Anti-fascist counter rally - Melbourne, 15 May 2011.聽.