Police allowed Nazi rally outside NSW parliament

5 hours ago 3

Police allowed a neo-Nazi rally targeting Jewish groups and people to be held outside NSW parliament on Saturday morning, two months after new laws banned the public incitement of racial hatred.

More than 60 members of the National Socialist Network attended the event outside parliament, which began at 10am and included a large banner that read “Abolish the Jewish Lobby”.

Premier Chris Minns has announced he will hold a press conference at 3.10pm, after the Herald witnessed the gathering outside parliament and sent questions to NSW Police, Police Minister Yasmin Catley and the premier.

Attendees wore dark uniforms with the NSN insignia stitched into the shoulders of their jackets. Some partially obscured their identities with hats or sunglasses. Many showed their faces, a sign of growing boldness by parts of organisation.

Two NSN leaders spoke, criticising not only Jewish groups but Jewish people in general. They used a number of antisemitic tropes about power and influence while speaking in favour of authority of “the white man”. One speaker promoted a highly offensive and baseless claim about antisemitic attacks carried out this year, which this masthead has chosen not to repeat.

At the end of the speeches the group chanted, “blood and honour”, a Hitler Youth motto.

A National Socialist Network rally held outside parliament.

Uniformed police who observed the rally did not take any action to break up the group, which dispersed after about 10 minutes. Videos of the event were quickly uploaded to social media channels associated with the NSN.

The Herald has chosen to publish images this masthead’s photographer captured of the rally, given the public interest in knowing it occurred and how it was conducted.

On August 15, new laws came into effect in NSW outlawing the public incitement of hatred.

“If a person publicly says or does something that encourages others to hate a person or group based on race, and it is done on purpose, they will face serious penalties,” the NSW Department of Communities and Justice said in a release.

“These include fines or even jail time.”

More than 60 people attended the rally, which was monitored by uniformed police.

By law, organisers looking to arrange an authorised protest need to submit a form to the commissioner of police with information including the time, date, location and expected number of attendees, as well as the purpose of the gathering.

The commissioner can choose to oppose the protest in court. If police do not lodge an objection within seven days the protest is considered authorised.

Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said neo-Nazis were skilled at identifying grievances and prejudices within society, manipulating them “for their evil purpose”.

“To defeat this, our law enforcement and security agencies need the right legislative tools to monitor and disrupt violent extremists and to prevent them from menacing or physically harming peaceful Australians,” Ryvchin said.

“But the single most important thing we must do is to restore decency, civility and basic rationalism to our country, which would instantly remove any appeal of movements founded in pathetic ideas of overthrowing democracy and creating racial hierarchies.”

In a senate estimates hearing late last month the Australian Federal Police said it was concerned the NSN was trying to establish a political party.

Acting deputy commissioner Nigel Ryan revealed the AFP had set up new national security investigations teams to focus on groups such as the NSN that undermine social cohesion, even when their actions do not constitute crimes.

In September, Acting NSW Police Commissioner Peter Thurtell said the emergence of neo-Nazi groups was so concerning “that we have our Engagement & Hate Crime Unit and our counter-terrorism command and our state intelligence group constantly monitoring the activities of these groups”.

Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson confirmed in the same hearing that police monitored the NSN’s physical training sessions in parks and were aware of another protest outside NSW parliament earlier in the year.

“We don’t see the issues here in New South Wales like they do in Victoria, where the group emanated, but we are certainly mindful of them and monitor them,” Hudson said.

The National Socialist Network played a critical role in the organisation of the anti-immigration March for Australia rallies held in August.

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