An Australian senator has been condemned for attending a far-right rally in Melbourne where protesters performed Nazi salutes.

Fraser Anning, who once called for a “final solution” to immigration, claimed “good Australians” were behind the rally.

The Queensland representative told local media that protesters were opposing an “African gangs crisis” and added: “If I was in charge I would stop any further Muslim immigration or immigration from North Africa. These guys don’t fit in with our society.”

When asked if he supported racist White Australia policies, Mr Anning claimed he supported a “predominantly European policy” to prevent “fake refugees” bringing “Sharia law” to the country.

“I believe the revolution will eventually start and people have had enough of these people, they’ve got to be sent back to where they came from,” he added.

A major police operation including a helicopter, boat, horses and officers armed with pepper spray was mounted to keep hundreds of far-right protesters and counter-demonstrators apart at St Kilda beach.

Several men were seeing performing Hitler salutes, while another held up a helmet emblazoned with the SS symbol.

Protesters chanted anti-immigration slogans and shouted abuse at counter-protesters, including homophobic slurs.

Organiser Neil Erikson, who has been convicted for inciting hatred against Muslims, claimed the protest was against “uncivilized gangs” committing crime in Melbourne.

Erikson founded a group called the United Patriots Front and supports Tommy Robinson, who is scheduled to tour Australia next month.

Last week, police intervened when Erikson refused to stop filming a group of black men playing football on St Kilda beach

He was previously known for approaching former senator Sam Dastyari in a pub and calling him a “terrorist” and a “monkey”.

Also present was convicted criminal Blair Cottrell, who runs an underground fight club called the Lads’ Society and once called for a picture of Adolf Hitler to be hung in every Australian classroom.

Several arrests were made and police were filmed pepper spraying protesters who tried to break through lines of officers to reach anti-fascists, and start fights.

Counter-protesters sang chants including “Sudanese are welcome, racists are not” and “you’ll always lose in Melbourne, f*** off”.

Superintendent Tony Silva said several arrests were made, including for drugs and possessing a dangerous article, and some demonstrators were detained and released for public order incidents.

He told a press conference that police had kept the rally “under control”.

He said: “To my knowledge there was no injuries, both to any of the public and also the police. People people have a right to protest — this is their human right as people have a right to walk along the St Kilda foreshore.”

Several MPs from the Labor and Green parties condemned the far-right demonstration and Mr Anning’s support. 

Tim Watts, MP for the Melbourne district of Gellibrand, said around 100 “neo-Nazis, white nationalists and racial supremacists” had attended. 

“We should take these racists and fascists seriously,” he added. “They hate the diverse, inclusive country that Australia has become and the values that the overwhelming majority of us share.

“The objective of rallies like this is to intimidate minorities in our country. In response, we need our community to send a clear message that racists like this will not be tolerated anywhere in our country. We need to be clear about the contempt and revulsion that we feel, as a community and a nation, towards these people.

“None of us should be silent in the face of this threat.”

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Australia’s race discrimination commissioner, Chin Tan, said he was “deeply concerned” by the rally.

“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the apparent racist and race-based motivation behind it,” he said in a statement. “There is no place for such rallies in Australia.”

Mr Tan added that it was unacceptable for people to inflame racial tensions, hatred and violence.

“Community concerns about crime, where they exist, must be properly discussed and those discussions must be underpinned with facts and evidence,” he said. “Activities that target a community based on their race or ethnicity are unacceptable and have no place in a cohesive, multicultural Australia.”