‘This can’t stand’: Hateful neo-Nazi messages left in Brisbane letterboxes

A neo-Nazi presence in Brisbane has been leaving disturbing – albeit nonsensical – promotional material in letterboxes around leafy inner suburbs calling on residents to join up.

A sample of one of the flyers distributed in Brisbane.

The suite of flyers, some seen by Brisbane Times, have been distributed in Auchenflower and Paddington over several days.

Bearing the names of established neo-Nazi groups, the leaflets contain conspiracist and hateful messages that are anti-Jewish and anti-immigrant.

One attempts to warn white Australians about being sterilised and then “living in a box eating bugs”. It follows similar drops at the Gold Coast last year.

While the flyers, distributed in left-leaning Queensland electorates, could be little more than the work of one person attempting to whip up outrage or present a narrative of a burgeoning movement, they are being taken seriously by Dr Dvir Abramovich of the Anti-Defamation Commission.

He said the messages were an “assault on the core values of our community” and called for a response from police and the state government.

“What was unthinkable five years ago is happening on our doorstep as the descendants of Hitler, unapologetic and emboldened neo-Nazis who dream of an Aryan Australia without Jews, Muslims, Asians, Indigenous Australians and members of the LGBTIQ community, are openly threatening and intimidating local residents,” he said.

“This can’t stand.”

Abramovich believed the flyers had also been distributed in the Sydney suburb of Paddington.

Queensland police said it was making inquiries about the material and urged anyone who felt threatened to contact them.

“The QPS is well positioned to monitor and assess both individuals and groups who may pose a threat to the safety and security of all Queenslanders,” a spokesman said.

“All instances of threats against cultural and religious communities are treated with the utmost seriousness.”

The Queensland government promised in May last year to ban the display of hate symbols. It hoped to have legislation before parliament by the end of 2022 but failed.

Brisbane Times asked acting Attorney-General Meaghan Scanlon whether the legislation would capture letterbox drops.

Her office said the laws were still a work in progress.

“The Palaszczuk government strongly condemns the display of Nazi hate symbols and is appalled to hear reports that Nazi flyers have been distributed in a Brisbane suburb,” a spokesman said.

“These messages have no place in our society.

“The government is working with stakeholders from across Queensland’s multicultural communities on these important reforms, including a recent roundtable hosted by the attorney-general, to ensure we get these changes right.”

Michael Berkman, the Greens MP for the electorate of Maiwar, which takes in Auchenflower, urged people who had received the leaflets to contact anti-fascist research organisation the White Rose Society.

“We do not know who distributed this vile material in our neighbourhoods, and it’s imperative we figure out who’s responsible so we can stamp this racism out,” he wrote on Facebook.

“The flyers explicitly reference local suburbs, which has understandably got a lot of people, including myself, concerned.

“But it’s also worth questioning whether this is the material’s intent – to create the impression of a growing Nazi presence or ‘movement’ in Brisbane to join, when actually the vast majority of people despise and reject their message.”