The questions that remain after neo-Nazis rallied outside parliament

Sixty men in dark uniforms arrive on Macquarie Street on a Saturday morning with one goal: promoting a deeply hateful neo-Nazi ideology. They were organised, assembling quickly outside Parliament House. They brought their own videographer. Their banner, “Abolish the Jewish Lobby”, was ready to go.

By contrast, the response of the NSW government showed a real lack of co-ordination. Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon and Premier Chris Minns on Saturday afternoon revealed that neither of them knew anything about the event before it was held.

A National Socialist Network rally held outside NSW parliament on Saturday. Credit: Flavio Brancaleone

A notice of intention to hold the rally had been submitted more than a week prior, in the name of a well-known National Socialist Network leader. Somehow it was never seen by the commissioner.

Reviews have been promised. Here are some of the questions that need answering.

First, was the notice of intention to hold the rally “served” on the commissioner? Lanyon said the protest was authorised as it had not been opposed by police within seven days. By law the notice must be addressed to and served on the commissioner. When this masthead asked the police media unit, we were told “no further comment”.

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Second, why did “White Australia” – the name on the form submitted – not set off some alarm within the local police command which received it? White Australia is known by NSW Police to be the new branding used by the NSN, a group that has been around for years.

Third, was the Parliament House security team notified? And, if so, why did this not kick off conversations higher up in government and the police?

Fourth, why did NSW Police not issue any move-along directions once the protest began and the sheer ugliness of the speeches was on full display? Was there any action that could have been taken even if police did not believe offences had been committed?

Which brings us to a much bigger question about whether any of Saturday’s theatrics constituted a crime. The premier floated the idea of introducing new legislation to deal with such rallies. And yet, only two months ago, laws prohibiting the public incitement of racial hatred came into effect.

If the premier says there will be no tolerance of neo-Nazi hatred, he should say – soon – whether he expects the law as it stands can deal with an explicitly anti-Jewish protest held by known extremists.

The troubling backdrop to all of this is that the NSN wants to register as a political party in NSW under the White Australia name. It has identified the NSW upper house as a good target for state elections and wants to be able to contest the next one.

The NSN manages to be both juvenile and menacing at the same time. The group also craves publicity, which makes reporting on its activities a sometimes fraught exercise.

But when neo-Nazis are able to pull off a gross stunt with the state’s parliament as a backdrop, and with police watching on, it is hard to ignore.

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