Masked Adelaide CBD protesters to face court as man reported for displaying a Nazi symbol

Police have acted after a masked group of men took to the Morphett St bridge in the city with a sign calling for mass deportations.

A group of masked activists who took to the Morphett St bridge in the city on Saturday with a sign calling for mass deportations will face court.

SA Police confirmed to The Advertiser patrols were deployed to Morphett St on Saturday morning after reports of a protest in which a group of men were disguising their faces with ski masks.

A large sign with the words “mass deportations now” was displayed from the bridge.

Police spoke to the group and safely managed the protest and a total of 13 male protesters were reported for carrying an article of disguise.

The men were summoned to appear in court at a later date.

The group of masked protesters on the Morphett St bridge in Adelaide on Saturday. Picture: 7NEWS

7NEWS reported the men are believed to be National Socialist Network – an Australian neo-Nazi political organisation.

SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the men were arrested as it is an offence under to wear an article of disguise.

“The tenor of their protest is obviously concerning to most people, they do have a right to assemble provided they comply with the public assemblies act and … we often provide latitude to any group who are assembling but haven’t fully complied,” he said.

“However in these circumstances the way they were conducting their protest, they were committing offences, and all of the people involved have been reported for wearing an article of disguise, and one person has been reported for displaying a Nazi symbol.”

Mr Stevens said police maintained a “watching brief on persons of interest from any ideologically motivated group, including right-wing extremists”.

“We don’t have any immediate concerns that there’s a significant growth in this type of behaviour or activity,” he said.

“It is something we watch and monitor, and we liaise closely with our interstate and federal counterparts in relation to this type of activity, whether it be in South Australia or elsewhere.”