NSW Police have banned a group of Australian nationalists from seven local government areas of Sydney under threat of five years’ imprisonment.
Almost 70 members of the National Socialist Network were originally ordered out of the City of Sydney and North Sydney LGAs on January 26, and on Sunday were told five more were off limits along with “Australia Day 2024 events” until 11.59pm.
A video released by the group on Saturday night showed a police inspector being jeered after telling the group that police had declared they were a “serious risk to public safety”.
“This is based on your ideological links, including your associates, your previous attendance at ideologically motivated public order incidents, and the possession of shields, masks and face coverings at North Sydney Train Station on the 26th of January 2024,” the order read.
The order stated any contravention or failure to comply would result in a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The right wing activist group were stopped and detained while taking a train on Friday, and police said 57 people were issued Rail Infringement Notices for “offensive behaviour”.
They later marched through North Sydney with an Australian flag, a Union Jack and a banner reading “Australia for the White man” while surrounded by large numbers of police. No arrests were made during or after the march.
Melbourne-based leader Thomas Sewell said the NSW Police Force had been “ordered to attack and violate the civil rights and the freedom of Australian citizens celebrating Australia Day.
“We as free White Australian men, proud Australian men, we’re not allowed to celebrate Australia Day this weekend,” he told reporters.
“It illustrates we live in a tyranny, not a liberal democracy. A liberal democracy would allow White Australians to demonstrate, and publicly protest, and publicly celebrate their national holiday.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition leader Peter Dutton and NSW Premier Chris Minns all criticised the group after their Australia Day ban was revealed.
Mr Minns said the NSW government was examining laws banning Nazi flags and symbols to see if they needed to also include the Roman salute, which earlier this month was outlawed nationwide by new “hate symbols” legislation.
At the same time the National Socialist Network were being stopped on Friday, a large “invasion day” rally was allowed to go ahead in Sydney’s CBD where anti-Australian protesters held signs demanding land be confiscated and given to Aboriginal groups, speakers yelled “abolish Australia”, and demonstrators in Muslim headscarves waved Palestinian flags.
In Melbourne, a similar rally was dominated by a coalition of various left wing extremist groups, with protesters waving more Palestinian, “pride” and “transgender” flags than Aboriginal ones.
In Canberra, protesters broke through police lines outside Parliament House chanting “Fuck Australia” and the entrance to the building was locked down. No arrests were made.
Just a day earlier a Captain Cook statue was destroyed by far left extremists in St Kilda, and no arrests have been made despite an activist group publicly claiming responsibility.
