Neo-Nazi protesters had police permission to rally outside Parliament House in Sydney

Anti-Semitic white supremacists were given approval to rally outside NSW Parliament House on Saturday, leaving Sydneysiders to wonder: How could police mess this up?

The National Socialist Network Nazi group holding a rally outside NSW Parliament House on Sunday.

Premier Chris Minns will examine extending hate speech laws after a neo-Nazi protest took place outside NSW Parliament without his knowledge thanks to an embarrassing communication failure.

The Premier made the stunning admission on Saturday that he and NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon had not been briefed about Saturday’s rally – which saw 67 members of the National Socialist Network gather on Macquarie St – despite local cops giving it the green light.

Dressed in dark uniforms while standing in front of a banner that read “Abolish the Jewish Lobby”, and “White Australia”, many of the group had their faces obscured as they chanted “blood and honour” (a Hitler Youth slogan).

Two speakers used a loud hailer to attack Jewish lobby groups and protest new laws which banned the public incitement of racial hatred.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the rally as an “insult to the values this country stands for.”

“There’s no place for hate, intimidation or antisemitism in Australia,” Mr Albanese told The Sunday Telegraph.

“I unequivocally condemn this hateful rally.”

It is the latest disturbing development from the Australian neo-Nazi movement which continues to hold provocative and violent public demonstrations while recruiting a steady stream of disaffected males.

Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said there had been a breakdown in communications, which meant he had not briefed the police minister on the protest. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Mr Minns and Mr Lanyon fronted the media on Saturday afternoon to reveal they had not been briefed in the lead-up to the rally, despite it being approved by Sydney City Local Area Command.

The Premier said: “If we had our time again, that rally wouldn’t have taken place.”

“It is likely the case that we need to give the police more legislative powers to stop this kind of naked hatred in Sydney’s streets,” Mr Minns said.

In response to whether he would have banned the rally, Mr Minns said, “We would have had an opportunity to do that earlier if we had known about it.”

Mr Lanyon said Sydney City Area Command approved the protest after receiving an application on October 28 by a group called White Australia.

The form said the protest was to be against the Jewish lobby groups and the new hate speech laws, Mr Lanyon said.

However, he said a communication failure meant he and Mr Minns were not briefed on the rally, which lasted for 20 minutes.

“There was a communication error in the police force for which I did not personally know that today’s protest was taking place,” Mr Lanyon said.

“Accordingly I had not briefed the minister of police or the government.”

Mr Lanyon said police would examine video of the rally to see if any offences had been committed by the attendees.

NSW Premier Chris Minns described the protest as ‘despicable’. Picture: Jeremy Piper

The premier said he wrestled with speaking on the issue because he did not want to give a platform to the neo-Nazi movement.

“You don’t want to give these pissants more oxygen,” he said. “Does anyone think that after dipping their toe into racism in Sydney that they are going to stop here?” he said.

“I want to send a clear and unambiguous message…that we have got no interest in neo-Nazis in Sydney and in Australia.”

Mr Minns said it was “disgusting” neo-Nazi speakers referenced the Anzacs, which he said was “a complete whitewashing of history”.

“NSW and Australian soldiers fought the Nazis. They stood up to fascism,” Mr Minns said.

“To try and rewrite history to justify this deplorable, disgusting behaviour on Sydney streets is absolutely shameful.

Mr Minns said it was “of course, concerning” that the protest was approved to go ahead.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin. Picture: Thomas Lisson

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin blasted the rally, saying attendees were pushing “pathetic ideas”.

“Neo-Nazis are adept at identifying the grievances and prejudices that are taking hold in a society and manipulating this for their evil purposes,” he said.

He backed Mr Minns’ call to further strengthen hate speech laws.

“To defeat this, our law enforcement and security agencies need the right legislative tools to monitor and disrupt violent extremists and to prevent them from menacing or physically harming peaceful Australians.”

It is the latest provocative display from the Australian neo-Nazi movement that is gaining momentum.

Its members, like New Zealand born Victorian Thomas Sewell, have increasingly been at the centre of provocative demonstrations that have taken place in the middle of Australia Day celebrations.

Last year a group of neo-Nazis marched through the streets of North Sydney.

Yesterday, one of the speakers outside Parliament said the group had formed a political party “to take Australia back”.

The disturbing CBD rally comes days after ASIO boss Mike Burgess said neo-Nazis like the National Socialist Network were a growing threat to the nation.

“I am deeply concerned by its hateful, divisive rhetoric and increasingly violent propaganda,” he said.

Federal NDIS Minister and NSW senator Jenny McAllister “condemned” Saturday’s Nazi rally.

“These are people who seek to make other people feel small and afraid and I would say this, this is the opposite of what it means to be an Australian, it is the opposite of patriotism and I have nothing but contempt for these people,” she told Sky.

However she would not go as far to condemn the police for allowing the demonstration to go ahead.

“I think the (NSW Police) commissioner (Mal Lanyon) has indicated that he’s looking into this. I think that’s appropriate.”
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said seeing 67 black-shirted men outside the NSW

Parliament, surrounding an “Abolish the Jewish Lobby” banner, was a “new low” in intimidating and instilling fear in the Jewish community.

“There must be zero tolerance. The time for warnings is over,” he said.

“Chris Minns told us that the disgraceful anti-Semitic scenes we saw on the steps of the Opera House would never be tolerated again.

“The Premier, the Police Minister and the Police Commissioner must explain how, on their watch, something as vile and coded as calling for abolishing a Jewish lobby has been allowed to occur outside the cradle of democracy in NSW.

“The symbolism is appalling.”

Originally published as Neo-Nazi protesters had police permission to rally outside Parliament House in Sydney