Investigation into handling of rally due to complaint over police actions
A formal complaint lodged with VEOHRC contends that police allowed neo-Nazis to take part in the protest that occurred during a "Let Women Speak" rally.
Victoria Police is being investigated by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) following allegations of failure to prevent a group of neo-Nazis from participating in a protest at Parliament House in March.
The investigation centres around concerns that officers’ actions during the protest breached race laws and promoted the involvement of individuals linked to hate groups.
A formal complaint lodged with VEOHRC contends that police allowed neo-Nazis to take part in the protest that occurred during a “Let Women Speak” rally.
It alleges: “Twenty neo-Nazis all dressed in black, some with their faces covered, publicly engaged in conduct that incited hatred against, serious contempt for and/or revulsion and/or severe ridicule of myself and/or members of the Jewish race and/or religion,” and as reported in the Herald Sun, also claims, “Absent Victoria Police encouraging, authorising and assisting the neo-Nazis, they would have been unable to publicly incite hatred against, serious contempt and/or revulsion and/or severe ridicule of myself and/or members of the Jewish race and/or religion.”
The unknown complainant also points out a potential violation of a legal agreement endorsed in 2008 under former police chief Christine Nixon. It mandates that law enforcement report incidents driven by racial or religious motivations and uphold the tenets outlined in the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act, as well as the Equal Opportunity Act.
A Victoria Police spokesperson declined to comment on the investigation or complaint, but told The AJN, “Protests can be incredibly difficult to manage, especially when you have multiple groups of people coming together with opposing views.
“In these instances, the role of police is to keep the peace and prevent opposing groups from clashing.”
The complainant has called for comprehensive education and training on the impacts of racial and religious vilification to be undertaken by Minister for Police Anthony Carbines and other high-ranking officials within Victoria Police, including Chief Commissioner Shane Patton.
According to the Herald Sun report, they have also called for disciplinary measures against officers who permitted the controversial protest, and formal apologies from both the state government and Victoria Police.
The Victoria Police spokesperson said the neo-Nazi protest “was unlike anything we had seen on city streets in recent times”, and a post-event debrief had been conducted by an independent officer to review the overall police response.
“Lessons coming out of this debrief will be used to inform our planning and preparation for similar events,” the spokesperson said.
Member for Caulfield David Southwick told The AJN, “There must be zero tolerance for neo-Nazis in Victoria and consequences for anyone who displays such behaviour.
“The government needs to step up and give Victoria Police appropriate training, staffing and resourcing to ensure these thugs can be swiftly dealt with in the future.”
comments