Racial hatred has no place anywhere in Australia

3 hours ago 3

Editorial

November 9, 2025 — 5.12pm

Sixty men, neo-Nazis clad in black, stood out the front of NSW Parliament House with a hateful message.

And seemingly no one knew it was going to happen. Not Premier Chris Minns, not Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon.

This is despite “White Australia” being known to police as branding for the National Socialist Network submitting a form 1 notice within the required period.

The National Socialist Network held a rally outside NSW Parliament House.

This is despite the requirement that the notice be served upon the police commissioner.

This is despite police not acting to move on the rally participants.

This is despite laws appearing to prohibit what was said. Section 93ZAA of the Crimes Act, passed in August, states: “A person commits an offence if: (a) the person, by a public act, intentionally incites hatred towards another person or a group of persons on the ground of race, and (b) the public act would cause a reasonable person who was the target of the incitement of hatred, or a reasonable person who was a member of a group of persons that was the target of the incitement of hatred, to (i) fear harassment, intimidation or violence; or fear for the reasonable person’s safety.”

So when senior government minister Penny Sharpe said “I would’ve thought” that the words “White Australia” on the notice would trigger concerns from police, it’s hard to argue.

The Herald believes the rally was indeed aimed at inciting hatred; and that a reasonable person – Jewish or otherwise – would feel intimidated at the very least.

Two leaders of the National Socialist Network spoke at the rally, criticising not only Jewish groups but Jewish people in general. They used 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.

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

This is not free speech. This is hate speech. In Germany, the use of these words is subject to legal penalty.

Police will investigate whether any offences were committed.

When the Crimes Act amendment was being debated this year, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip said the “unprecedented campaign of domestic terrorism” targeted at the Jewish community began with “words of hate” which normalised the violence.

One needs to get only three paragraphs into the report by Jillian Segal, Australia’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, to understand the problem. “From hate-filled chants outside the Sydney Opera House, preventing others attending the site, to the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue, we are shown what happens when hate is left unchecked,” she wrote.

“This wave of hate has caused many Jewish Australians – who for generations have embraced this country – to question their safety and their place in our society.”

Racial hatred of any kind has no place in Australia, much less at the steps of its
oldest parliament.

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