A man who made antisemitic comments in front of a crowd at an anti-immigration protest in Sydney has been charged with inciting hatred.
The 31-year-man wore a black t-shirt with a “Celtic cross” – a known neo-Nazi symbol – while he made a series of antisemitic comments on the stage. An estimated 2000 people took part in the March for Australia rally in Sydney on Monday.
According to NSW police, the man was charged with publicly inciting hatred on the grounds of race, causing fear. He was taken to Surry Hills police station and refused bail.
NSW Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden said the man’s comments were “unequivocally assigned” with neo-Nazi ideology.
Large parts of the crowd also called to “free Joel Davis”, a prominent figure of the National Socialist Network, who is currently in jail. Davis was charged last year after ordering his followers to “rhetorically rape” Wentworth MP Allegra Spender.
The comment was allegedly made after Spender condemned a neo-Nazi rally outside NSW parliament in November.
March for Australia protesters in Sydney also cheered when prominent neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell was mentioned.
Meanwhile, in Brisbane, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson addressed the “Australia marches” crowd, telling demonstrators “we can never give up our freedom of speech”.
She told the crowd her role was to “fight for you” and called Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “the worst prime minister I have ever seen”.
The crowd chanted Hanson’s name and she was mobbed by people wanting to take photos with her.
In Melbourne, Victorian police said four men racially abused two people on Monday before chasing them and smashing their window. One man performed a Nazi salute during the alleged offending, according to police.
Police said the offenders fled prior to police arrival and the incident would be investigated.
It’s also been reported that undercover neo-Nazis led anti-immigration crowds in Melbourne and broke into racist chants. Hugo Lennon, a far-right anti-immigration figure, also spoke at the rally.
In Canberra, tensions were high during a confrontation between March for Australia protesters and Invasion Day protesters outside parliament house.
Invasion Day rallies
Across the country, numerous Invasion Day rallies were held, with figures far outnumbering the attendance of the March for Australia rallies.
About 18,000 people turned up for the Invasion Day rally in Sydney. It began with a tribute to Sophie Quinn, an Indigenous woman who was allegedly shot dead by her former partner, Julian Ingram, in Lake Cargelligo last week.
A similar number of people attended the Invasion Day protest held in Melbourne’s CBD.
Demonstrators chanted “always was, always will be, Aboriginal land”.