Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit to Australia is going to get a rockstar reception, said reports, but an anti-migration group is also planning a protest on Thursday outside the Marvel Stadium during his ‘Melbourne Meets Modi’ event. Australia has a thriving Indian community and people with roots in India now make over 5% of the population in the country.
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Modi is set to hold talks with his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, on expanding strategic and economic cooperation. The two leaders will meet in Melbourne for the Australia–India Annual Leaders’ Summit.
According to an AFP report, a “protest against Indian migration to Australia” has been planned during Modi’s visit to Melbourne. The demonstration is expected to coincide with the ‘Melbourne Meets Modi’ community event at Marvel Stadium, where tens of thousands of members of Australia’s Indian diaspora are expected to gather to welcome PM Modi.
The an anti-immigration group that has previously targeted Indian migrants.
Australia-based publication The Indian Sun reported that social media accounts linked to the anti-mass migration movement “March for Australia” have been mobilising supporters for Thursday’s protest. The publication said promotional material circulating online calls for participants to assemble outside the Department of Home Affairs office at 808 Bourke Street in Melbourne’s Docklands suburb, before marching towards Marvel Stadium.
The Indian Sun reported that it added that it had verified the authenticity of the online posts but could not independently verify the expected turnout or whether Victoria Police had been formally notified of the demonstration.
Among the accounts promoting the protest is the verified X handle Aus Pill (@aus_pill), which The Indian Sun linked to supporters of the March for Australia movement.
In a post announcing the protest, Aus Pill claimed Australian leaders were “hosting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Melbourne” while pursuing deeper ties with India through migration and diaspora engagement. The account argued that Australia should reject further mass immigration.
“The vast majority of those attending the Marvel Stadium rally will be supporters of Narendra Modi and his far right BJP party, they may not like us opposing them but this is our continent. We vow to be peaceful, but loud,” the account posted.
Responding to the post by Aus Pill, a verified X account of BW Jackson, who identifies as a “national conservationist”, urged Australians to oppose what it called “foreign influence” in domestic politics.
“Tomorrow a foreign leader is effectively holding a political rally in Melbourne to demonstrate the growing power of his diaspora in our country,” Jackson wrote. “Australians should push back against this so that our leaders know that we oppose this foreign influence on our politics.”
AUSTRALIAN GROUP PREVIOUSLY SINGLED OUT INDIAN IMMIGRANTS
The protest comes less than a year after the “March for Australia” movement organised anti-immigration rallies across several Australian cities that prominently singled out Indian migrants.
During those demonstrations in August last year, promotional material highlighted the rapid growth of Australia’s Indian-born population and argued that immigration was changing the country’s demographic makeup.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, cited in multiple reports at the time, around 8,45,800 Indian-born residents lived in Australia in 2023, making them one of the country’s largest overseas-born communities. More recent official estimates place the Indian-born population at close to one million, making it Australia’s second-largest migrant community after people born in England.
The rallies drew widespread criticism across Australia’s political spectrum.
Australian ministers condemned the demonstrations as divisive and accused organisers of spreading hate, while several politicians raised concerns over anti-Indian rhetoric. Authorities also noted the presence of neo-Nazi figures at some of the protests, particularly in Melbourne, where clashes broke out between protesters and counter-protesters. Police arrested several people during the unrest.
March for Australia had denied links with extremist organisations, describing itself as a grassroots movement seeking lower immigration levels.
WHY MODI’S AUSTRALIA VISIT MATTERS
The planned protest comes against the backdrop of one of the most important India-Australia engagements in recent years. This is Modi’s third Australia visit in the last 10 years.
Modi’s talks with Albanese are expected to focus on strengthening cooperation in defence, critical minerals, trade and energy security.
According to AFP, securing supplies of critical minerals such as lithium and expanding cooperation on uranium are expected to feature prominently in discussions. Australia possesses some of the world’s largest reserves of lithium and uranium, resources that are increasingly important for India’s clean energy ambitions and long-term nuclear power expansion.
The two countries have significantly strengthened ties over the past decade, driven in part by shared concerns over China’s growing strategic influence in the Indo-Pacific and their cooperation through the Quad grouping alongside the United States and Japan.
The visit also includes the Australia-India Annual Leaders’ Summit, a business reception centred on the bilateral economic roadmap, meetings with Australian leaders, and the large Indian community.
During his previous Australia trip in 2023, Modi addressed around 20,000 members of the Indian community in Sydney, where Albanese famously described him as “the Boss” while praising his popularity among the diaspora.
This year’s Melbourne event is expected to attract an even larger audience.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
