Neo-Nazis rally outside NSW Parliament

UPDATED: NSW Speaker Greg Piper has revealed he knew that neo-Nazis planned to rally outside Parliament House but was told the protest could not be relocated despite his concerns, as Jewish leaders condemned the police-approved demonstration.

Piper said he was informed of the rally plans late on Friday night and immediately requested his staff contact parliament’s security team for urgent intervention, but was told the protest could not be relocated.

“It seemed quite evident to me that this should not go on outside the parliament, but we were told there was nothing that could be done,” said Piper, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Most people would assume this would have gone up the chain to the premier. If I knew, so should he. [So] to say this is a failure of communication is an understatement. This is a failure to be politically attuned to the implications of something like this.”

Jewish leaders have condemned the police-approved neo-Nazi rally held outside NSW Parliament on Saturday morning, with NSW Premier Chris Minns promising a review and potential new laws.

A group of National Social Network members, all dressed in black, protested against what they called “the influence of the Jewish lobby” on Australian politics in a demonstration that lasted approximately seven minutes. Shocking footage emerged of the group holding a large banner stating “Abolish the Jewish Lobby”.

According to The Australian, the extremist group could be heard saying, “The Jewish lobby is one of the most powerful lobbies in Australia. They bribe our politicians, they coerce our politicians.” A Hitler slogan was also chanted by the group at the end of the speech.

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said there had been a “break down in communication” and the government had not been briefed on the protest despite police approving a Form 1 application from the White Australia group which was received on October 28.

“They indicated that approximately 50 people would be attending that protest,” said Lanyon during a press conference. “The purpose for conducting the protest was said to be the protest against the Jewish lobby groups but also the current hate speech laws. The government had not been briefed on this process. I take it very personally, there was a communication error in the police force for which I did not personally know that today’s protest was taking place. Accordingly, I had not briefed the Minister of Police.”

Minns called the protesters “pissants” and said it was “of course, concerning” that the rally was approved to go ahead. “If we had our time again, that rally wouldn’t have taken place. It’s obviously shameful that these people feel that they have the right to demonstrate in such a despicable way, spewing division and racism on the streets of Sydney,” he said.

“We need to send a clear and unambiguous message that kind of behaviour will not be tolerated and the truth of the matter is if you give these racists an inch, they’re going to take a mile.”

Minns continued, ”One of the disgusting things, as it was reported to me from one of the speeches, was that the Anzacs were invoked by one of the speakers at a neo-Nazi rally. I mean, the complete whitewashing of history. NSW and Australian soldiers fought the Nazis. They stood up to fascism and to try and rewrite history to justify these deplorable disgusting behaviour on Sydney streets. It’s shameful. It’s absolutely shameful.

“The truth of the matter is, racism by Neo-Nazis won’t just stop with the Jewish community. We have seen attacks on the Indian community in NSW, on the Islamic community in NSW. They’re not going to stop unless they’re confronted with an overwhelming public sentiment against their hatred.”

According to The Australian, the Premier promised a review of the protest and teased the possibility of new laws, but failed to answer why existing laws against incitement of racial hatred had not stopped the event.

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip said, “It’s tempting to ignore the vile demonstration which was held today and avoid giving these dangerous neo-Nazis the attention they crave. But evil left unconfronted becomes evil that is normalised. The chilling images and despicable words of hate which were uttered today should never find a home or be accepted in our society, especially outside the heart of our democracy.

“We welcome the swift response from the Government and NSW Police in both examining how this hateful rally took place outside Parliament without objection from Police and making sure that this is avoided in the future. Today’s rally should also be carefully assessed to determine if any laws have been broken. We are living in a perilous time and all people of goodwill need to use this moment to take a stand and reject the hatred, division and extremism which is proliferating in our society.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said on social media, “Conspiracy theories about Jewish control of politics are more prevalent now than at any time in the past 80 years. They are common to all extremist ideologies from far left to far right. Neo-Nazis are adept at identifying the grievances and prejudices that are taking hold in a society and manipulating this for their evil purposes.

“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. 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 racial hierarchies,” Ryvchin said.

NSW Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig noted that he was in synagogue – “remembering my father, and my mother who survived the Holocaust” – at the same time as the neo-Nazis congregated. “Hate has no place in our democracy. We can’t stay silent. Not now. Not ever,” he said.

Member for Coogee Marjorie O’Neill expressed her disgust at the demonstration. “This display of racism must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. Attacks against our Jewish community will not be tolerated,” she said.

“This demonstration should never have been allowed to go ahead. Nazis should never feel empowered to step out on our streets and spread hate. We will always stand with the Jewish community and condemn all forms of antisemitism.”

NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman asked why authorities failed to seek a court order preventing the protest under the new hate speech laws. “Disgusting scene today – an uninterrupted neo-Nazi rally right outside NSW Parliament. The Premier, Police Minister and Police Commissioner must explain how on earth this was allowed to happen on their watch,” he posted on X.

Member for Vaucluse Kellie Sloane MP said on X, “Time to test our new incitement to hatred laws. These thugs should be locked up. They are a threat not only to our Jewish community who were the targets of today’s chilling display, but to broader multicultural NSW.”

Member for Wentworth Allegra Spender said, “The Neo-Nazi demonstration today is appalling. This group is seeking to spread vile hatred against Jewish people and undermine our great Australian multiculturalism. The use of a Hitler Youth slogan is chilling. I have spoken to the NSW Police Minister and urge the NSW government and police to look at all prosecution options under the hate speech legislation.”

“But to the Jewish community, I know this is frightening but these are extremists, they do not speak for our country. All Australians have a responsibility to stand up strongly against racism against any group. This is not just an attack on Jewish people, it is an attack on all of us,” Spender said.

The AJN understands both Sloane and Spender received threats after they condemned the rally.

According to The Australian, Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal said she would talk to Minns “at the earliest opportunity” about the need to continue work on stamping out intolerance. “The antisemitism displayed outside the NSW parliament was despicable, an abuse of free speech that veered into hate. This hate underlines why we must continue investing in efforts that build social cohesion and protect communities from prejudice,” she said.

Police will investigate to determine whether any offences were committed, The Australian reported.