Election 2025: Neo-Nazis reported to AEC over alleged breaches of electoral laws

Neo-Nazis who impersonated Orthodox Jews and handed out fake Liberal Party flyers have been reported to the Australian Electoral Commission for breaches of the Electoral Act.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry Alex Ryvchin has condemned those behind the fake flyers. Picture: John Feder/The Australian

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Neo-Nazis who impersonated Orthodox Jews and handed out fake Liberal Party flyers outside a polling booth have been reported to the Australian Electoral Commission for breaches of electoral laws.

A leading Jewish group has complained to the AEC that the anti-Semitic incident constituted unclear authorisation and fraud by displaying a blue “Liberal” banner and handing out flyers purporting to be from the party.

Amid escalating tensions at pre-polling centres ahead of Saturday’s election, two men impersonating Orthodox Jews and a man wearing a shirt that said “Liberal”, with the party’s logo doctored to include an Israeli flag, were seen distributing flyers in Melbourne’s east.

The incident outside the early voting centre on High Street in Kew in Melbourne on Wednesday coincided with the same flyers – which were authorised by National Socialist Network leader Joel Davis – being placed in letterboxes in Caulfield, which has a significant Jewish population.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry filed a complaint with the AEC that the NSN members’ conduct constituted a breach of laws requiring electoral communication to be authorised and accusing the men of fraud or corruption.

The complaint alleged the banner carried by the men, who were wearing “traditional religious clothing and gave racist speeches which borrowed on the age-old wealth/greed and global domination anti-Semitic tropes”, constituted fraudulent conduct by impersonating the Liberals.

“Pre-poll voters thus seemed confused that people seemingly identifying as from the Liberal Party were engaging in such conduct,” the complaint said.

“In this way, the conduct hindered and interfered with pre-poll voters who were about to vote at the pre-polling centre.”

The complaint also alleged the leaflets titled “Giving the Jews everything they want” deliber­ately misled the public by claiming to be authored by the Liberals and failed to provide an address for the authorising party.

“These constituted misleading and deceptive publications,” the complaint said.

“They also failed to include required authorisation particulars on printed material such as the full address of the authorising party. The authorising party was not displayed sufficiently prominently.”

A spokesman said the AEC was aware of the flyers, which did not appear to have been “correctly authorised”, signalling there could be other “legal remedies” outside electoral laws.

“As a result, the AEC will follow the process for authorisation compliance with this group as we are with many other pieces of electoral communication during the voting period,” the spokesman said.

The AEC acknowledged that the flyers would elicit a “strong emotional reaction”, but the electoral watchdog does not make determinations on the content of political communications.

“In saying this, there may be other bodies that could have an interest under separate legislation given the nature of the content,” the spokesman said.

“While the Electoral Act doesn’t prohibit the use of a political party’s logo, there may be other potential legal remedies that would fall outside of electoral laws.”

The ECAJ has also lodged a report with Victoria Police to allege the incident constituted a breach of electoral laws by interfering with political liberty, which is punishable by up to three years in prison. A spokeswoman confirmed an investigation was under way.

ECAJ co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin condemned those behind the flyers as “Nazi filth”, who were an “embarrassment to our country”.