A South African man who attended a neo-Nazi protest in Sydney earlier this month has been taken into immigration detention and will be deported from the country.
The man, identified as Matthew Gruter, was one of about 60 men clad in black who staged a protest outside NSW parliament on November 8 alongside a banner that said: “Abolish the Jewish lobby”.
Gruter is a senior member of the NSW chapter of the National Socialist Network, a well known neo-Nazi group. The ABC reported Gruter, a civil engineer, listed his employer as multinational firm, Aurecon.
Immigration Minister Tony Burke said his visa had been cancelled on character grounds, saying the men at the rally “hate modern Australia”. He said he expected Gruter will leave the country very soon.
Gruter is one of several men at the rally identified in the media this week. Others include a young race car driver, a manager at an Australia Post branch, and a personal trainer at Anytime Fitness. Anti-fascist researchers, the White Rose Society, have contributed to the identification of the men.
The protest at NSW parliament sparked fierce backlash and fallout from police and politicians over their handling of the rally. The criticism has come especially as it occurred after new laws came into effect in August that make it a crime to intentionally incite hatred against people because of their race, nationality or ethno-religious background.
Police Minister Yasmin Catley said there were communication failures that meant she had not known about the rally ahead of it taking place earlier this month.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon also said he was not warned about the rally ahead of it occurring. Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell has confirmed he was aware of the planned protest but did not relay anything about it to the Commissioner.
Premier Chris Minns also blamed communication failures, saying he was not told about it ahead of time.
Tougher laws
The NSW parliament is set to introduce legislation today that will make it an offence to publicly display support for Nazi ideology. It means chants like “blood and honour” which was used by the group of neo-Nazi protestors outside of parliament and is associated with the Hitler Youth, would be illegal.
The law change will ban the use of all Nazi slogans and chants. Using Nazi symbols is already illegal in NSW.
Under the change to the Crimes Act 1900, a person could face up to a year in prison or a fine of $11,000. Stronger penalties would apply to anyone who uses a Nazi slogan or chant near a synagogue, Jewish school or museum.
“The deplorable stunt we saw outside NSW Parliament has no place in our society. Nobody should be subject to this vile hatred because of their background or faith,” Attorney General Michael Daley said.
“We are giving police and the courts additional powers to hold Nazi extremists to account for their abhorrent views.
“These tough new laws are complemented by the suite of legislation the Government has already put in place to protect against racial vilification and hatred.”