Anger after neo-Nazi rally allowed outside parliament
A neo-Nazi rally outside the NSW parliament following laws banning incitement to racial hatred has sparked outrage and condemnation from Premier Chris Minns and Jewish groups.
Police were also questioned about why the event was allowed to take place.
A group of several dozen black-clad men – reportedly members of the National Socialist Network (NSN) – attended the demonstration on Sydney’s Macquarie Street on Saturday morning.
Photos of the event published by the Sydney Morning Herald show the men next to a large banner hung on the door of parliament bearing the slogan “Abolish the Jewish Lobby”.
“The part of me that struggles with these distressing images is that you don’t want to give these scumbags any more oxygen,” Mr. Minns told reporters.
“I know holding this media conference does exactly that, but the truth is, I’ve decided that if you give them an inch, they’ll take a mile.
“And does anyone believe this is their last rally? Does anyone think they’re going to stop here after they put their feet on racism in Sydney?”
“I want them to be met with a loud and clear message from government, from political leaders, from civic life, from average NSW residents, that we have nothing to do with the neo-Nazis in Sydney and Australia.”
Mr Minns said the government may need to give police more legislative powers to deal with “this kind of naked hatred and racism on the streets of Sydney”.
Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said police received notice of the rally more than a week ago, but he was not personally aware of it.
“There was a miscommunication within the police department that I personally did not know was happening today’s protest,” he told reporters.
He said a command-level decision was made to allow the meeting to proceed based on the likelihood that nothing illegal or violent would occur.
However, this call will now be fully examined.
Chairman of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, David Ossip, described the demonstration as disgraceful.
“It is tempting to ignore today’s disgusting demonstration and avoid giving these dangerous neo-Nazis the attention they desire,” Mr. Ossip said.
“But evil that is not confronted becomes evil that is normalized.
“The gruesome images and vile words of hate expressed today must never find a place or be accepted in our society, especially outside the heart of our democracy.”
Mr Ossip called for the rally to be carefully evaluated to determine whether any laws had been broken.
Alex Ryvchin, co-chairman of the Executive Council of Australian Jews, said police and security agencies needed the right legal tools to monitor and disrupt violent extremists and prevent them from threatening or harming Australians.
“But the most important thing we need to do is to restore civility, civility and basic rationalism in our country, which will immediately eliminate any appeal of movements based on deplorable ideas such as overthrowing democracy and creating racial hierarchies,” he added.
Over the past few years there have been numerous protests in capitals and towns involving NSN members. In September, members of the group marched at anti-immigration rallies in Sydney and Melbourne.
