People have a right to protest against "radical Islam", federal government MP George Christensen has told a Reclaim Australia rally in Queensland.
Mr Christensen delivered on his promise to attend the Mackay rally on Sunday despite criticism from Labor.
He said he was disappointed, but not surprised, by the "tidal wave of hyperventilation and confected outrage on social media" that flowed after he agreed to speak at the event.
The member for Dawson took aim at Opposition immigration spokesman Richard Marles for labelling the rally as "racist" and said the spread of repressive ideologies, which must not be confused with religion, had begun.
Controversial government MP George Christensen addresses the Reclaim Australia rally in the regional Queensland city of Mackay Source: AAP
"I refer to the slow spread of a sharia-style dispensation of justice, which is quietly executed in Australian mosques, unfortunately, on a daily basis," he said.
"It's a form of justice that perpetuates the oppression and abuse of women and yet we don't dare speak of it because we will be instantly attacked as racists."
Earlier, Labor leader Bill Shorten said the prime minister should not allow his MPs to stir up trouble by attending Reclaim Australia rallies.
"I think Mr Abbott needs to stand with the silent majority of Australians who watch the TV and ask `what's going on?', rather than giving the green light to his MPs to stir up problems," he told reporters in Melbourne.
Despite heated tensions between anti-Islam and anti-racism protesters, there were no reports of arrests at the Queensland rallies, which were also held in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Toowoomba, Gold Coast, Cairns and the Sunshine Coast.
In Rockhampton, Pauline Hanson told protesters that Islam was dividing the country but insisted she wasn't targeting Muslims.
"I have been outspoken and I am against Islam in Australia," the One Nation founder told the crowd.
"We have allowed different religions that have never been a problem in Australia, (but) I see divisions happening in our country and it's purely based on Islam.
"I'm not targeting Muslims, I'm targeting the ideology, what Islam stands for and it's very foreign to our culture and to Christianity."
In Brisbane, police tape was rolled out to create a five-metre buffer zone between anti-Islam and anti-racism protesters, a day after four people were arrested during ugly clashes in Melbourne.
There were heated scenes at a park in the Queensland capital as anti-racism protesters chanted "shut-up racists, shut-up", "racist bigots got to go" and "f*** off racists".
While there have been no reports of arrests, some protesters were escorted out by police at the Brisbane and Sunshine Coast rallies.
