Fears of violent scenes at rallies across Australian capital cities on Saturday failed to materialise as just a fraction of those predicted to attend protests and counter-protests showed up.

Police in Victoria had been preparing for potential violence, fearing a repeat of the scenes in Melbourne in August, when violent brawls broke out between anti-immigration protesters and anti-fascism groups.

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On Saturday, police mostly succeeded in keeping opposing groups separate, intervening several times and deploying pepper spray.

Officers deployed in Melbourne had been granted extra powers to search people for weapons and can direct people to remove face coverings.

About 2,500 people from multiple groups turned up to the rally. Victoria police said a 29-year

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