‘Horrific manifestation’: Race commissioner condemns white supremacist rally
A white supremacist rally over the weekend has been called a “horrific manifestation” that “must be taken seriously”.
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The threat of white supremacy “must be taken seriously”, Australia’s anti-racism tsar warns after neo-Nazis descended on a small town in rural NSW over the weekend.
Dozens of balaclava-wearing men on Saturday gathered in Corowa, which sits on the NSW-Victoria border, to march down the main street under a banner that read “White man fight back”.
The rally sparked shock and outrage, including from the Coalition frontbencher Sussan Ley, the MP for the electorate.
But Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman said on Tuesday that for those who had been “following the rise of the far right in the last few years, it sadly wasn’t that surprising”.
“This is what happens when we refuse to properly name and confront the extent of racism that is ingrained across our society,” Mr Sivaraman said.
“These rallies are a horrific manifestation of what happens when racism is normalised – to the extent that neo-Nazis are emboldened to be on the streets as a threatening force.”
Mr Sivaraman said “any challenge” to institutional privilege was being “met with vile hate and acts of violence”.
“White supremacy is a threat that must be taken seriously,” he said.
“We should never forget that the worst mass murder in recent history committed by an Australian was a white supremacist in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2019.
“Politicians need to be careful their language does not denigrate one community over another or embolden neo-Nazis to openly march on our streets.”
NSW Police said they responded to the rally and dispersed a crowd of about 50 people.
Ms Ley has also condemned the rally, saying she was “saddened this hate was forced upon members of my community”.
Originally published as ‘Horrific manifestation’: Race commissioner condemns white supremacist rally
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