Dozens of protesters have heckled ticket holders in Perth on the first night of Nigel Farage’s week-long speaking tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Police formed a cordon around the demonstrators, who shouted “Nazi scum off our streets” and “shame” as people entered the 350-capacity hall in Western Australia.

One woman held up a sign reading “Farage out Manning in”, in reference to the US whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who was denied a visa by the Australian government last week.

Inside the venue, a convivial atmosphere greeted the former Ukip leader, who stuck to a well-worn repertoire of opinions on populism, multiculturalism and Brexit, peppered with references to his “friend” Donald Trump.

Farage insisted Australia and the wider English-speaking world would benefit from Britain’s impending departure from the EU.

“They were all lining up, even Australian politicians, saying that Britain should not vote for Brexit, which struck me as being completely and utterly bizarre,” he said. “Because if there was one repercussion for the world, it is that it will benefit from Brexit. We reversed what we did to you in the common market and that will enable us to have closer relations with Britain, Australia and the wider English-speaking world.”



People at the event were entertained by Nigel Farage’s opinions on Brexit and multiculturalism. Photograph: Richard Wainwright/AAP

In his first-half monologue, Farage regaled his audience with tales of being invited to dinner with the US president and to speak at a campaign rally.

Later, during a question and answer session conducted from an armchair with a glass of red wine to hand, he lavished praise on Trump.

“I like Trump,” he said. “On that stage in Mississippi, when I came off the podium and shook his hand, he said ‘you will be my friend for life’ and, do you know what, I believe him.”

Farage’s visit has coincided with a tumultuous few weeks in Australian politics, after the moderate Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was ousted in a party coup. His replacement, Scott Morrison, was the socially conservative architect of Australia’s hardline anti-asylum seeker policies.

Farage praised Pauline Hanson, the leader of Australia’s rightwing populist One Nation party, for playing a valuable role in raising the issue of immigration, but added that he was worried about her narrative.

“I would say this to Miss Hanson and others in Europe, that being against Islamism is the right place to be, but putting yourself in a position where you are taking on a holy war against the religion of Islam is a mistake,” Farage said. “If we do it we will lose. To win a big fight you sometimes have to box clever.”

As his audience became increasingly animated he also described the former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson as “brave” but unwise, and said Theresa May was the worst prime minister in British history. He gave May a 50/50 chance of carrying on for another two months.

Tickets to the event, entitled An Entertaining Evening With Nigel Farage, and promoted by Damien Costas, who owns Penthouse Australia, were priced at between $90 and $300 (£50-£166).