NSW Police authorised a neo-Nazi protest outside NSW Parliament this weekend without informing the Government.
More than 60 people from the National Socialist Network (NSN) gathered outside NSW Parliament on Saturday morning with an antisemitic banner.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the lack of Government notification was due to a “communication error”.
Premier Chris Minns called the event “a shocking display of hatred, racism and antisemitism,” and said the gathering should not have been approved.
NSN
The NSN is an Australian neo-Nazi organisation formed in 2020. It is reported to be Australia’s largest white supremacist group.
The group is led by Thomas Sewell, a neo-Nazi and former Australian soldier. Sewell has publicly stated that he is a “political soldier for the white race”.
The NSN has said it plans to run candidates in the next federal election under a new political party called ‘White Australia’.
The rally
State rules specify that organisers of a rally need to inform NSW Police about the plans, including expected crowd size and planned route. The protest is then either approved or an application is filed to block the protest.
Lanyon said the group submitted a notification on 28 October and police did not formally oppose it.
A copy of the notification obtained by The Sydney Morning Herald says organisers planned to hold “a peaceful protest” against NSW hate speech law, while holding a sign saying “Abolish the Jewish lobby”.
Since August this year, NSW has criminalised publicly inciting hatred based on race, including “nationality, ethnicity, descent, or ethno-religious background”. Penalties include up to two years in prison or an $11,000 fine.
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On Saturday, more than 60 NSN members assembled outside NSW Parliament, holding the sign and chanting Nazi slogans. All attendees were dressed in black and many wore face coverings to conceal their identities.
Lanyon said he was not personally aware of the planned gathering, and so the Government had not been briefed ahead of time.
Response
In response to the rally, Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said law enforcement need “the right legislative tools to monitor and disrupt violent extremists and to prevent them from menacing... peaceful Australians.”
On Saturday, NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman urged the Premier to explain how the rally was able to go ahead, calling it “a new low in intimidating… our Jewish community.”
NSW Liberal MP Kellie Sloane, whose electorate has a large Jewish population, added: “These men…represent hate, and it has no place here.”
At a press conference on Monday, Sloane said she had received “dozens of abusive messages” and “violent” threats online since releasing that statement.
Federal MP Allegra Spender, whose electorate contains Sloane’s, told the ABC on Monday morning she had also been threatened online after condemning the rally.
Govt reponse
Lanyon said he had launched a review into why police authorised the rally, and whether current laws work to prohibit these types of protests.
Minns said he would work to “stop this kind of naked hatred and racism on Sydney streets.”
“We’ve been locked in discussions… with the senior lawyers inside the Government, and they believe that there is room to [protect] public harmony further than what we’ve currently constituted,” he said.
