Neo-Nazis posters and stickers plaster Melbourne

A new neo-Nazi group formed last October has conducted its third and fourth “action” on Monday and Tuesday this week.

On Monday night they put on 200 posters at Melbourne Zoo, Carlton Football Club and Melbourne University. The posters were divided into three types.

The first poster with the message “Stop the Hordes” and “keep Australia white” is against immigration and promotes the idea of a Jewish conspiracy to bring people of colour, black people, Chinese and Arabs into Australia.

The second poster has a picture has the message “reject Jewish poison”. It has a picture of a man representing an Jew, the same picture used in other antisemitic material, pulling strings attached to the words “multiculturalism” and “degeneracy” which he is hovering over a map of Australia coloured to look like an Australian flag.

The third image has a picture of Hitler in dark sunglasses and the message “National Socialism or Nothing”.

The group then spent Valentine’s Day putting up small pink stickers all over Melbourne with a heart and the name of their hate group.

JCCV President Jennifer Huppert told J-wire, ”We’re dismayed that this material is appearing on the streets of Melbourne as it is distressing to members of our community and inconsistent with the share values of the vast majority of Victorians.”

A report by the Online Hate Prevention Institute (OHPI) which examined the group noted that their online presence is small. The report also notes the group was formed by a 23-year-old, whose family come from the UK and Germany, after he spent around 18 months on a neo-Nazi online forum. OHPI has asked the public to remove the posters and stickers when they are spotted and called on the media avoid naming the group.

Dr Andre Oboler, CEO of the Online Hate Prevention Institute, told J-Wire “This group is a small homegrown Melbourne neo-Nazi group of people in their 20s, brain washed by online extremism, and trying to take a stand against Victoria’s strong multiculturalism and diversity. There is very little local support for their views. Unfortunately it only takes a few people to put up posters and stickers to spread a message of hate. Their message of racism is not welcome in Melbourne and is in fact unlawful.”

Under S18C of the Racial Discrimination Act is unlawful to “offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate” a group of people on the basis of their race. The words are taken together and the courts have ruled that it needs to be more than a mere slight. Dr Oboler told J-Wire that the posters which clearly promote antisemitic canards would likely cross the threshold.

Julie Nathan, Research Officer for Executive Council of Australian Jewry, highlighted that the problem went beyond the Jewish community, “The activities of this small fringe neo-Nazi group in Melbourne illustrate how hate propaganda against Jews can also end up targeting other minority groups such as the gay community and non-European migrants” she told J-Wire.

In Victoria this neo-Nazi group’s actions would also likely be unlawful under S7 and S8 of Victoria’s Racial and Religious Tolerance Act. The Victorian legislation makes “hatred against, serious contempt for, or revulsion or severe ridicule” of people unlawful when it’s done on the basis of their race (S7) or religion (S8).