Marcus Stewart, Blair Cottrell and ECAJ say Indigenous voice to parliament No campaign target of far-right

The Albanese government is honing in on the far-right ‘hijacking’ the voice debate, but the No campaign says they’re on the fringes.

Blair Cottrell addressed the crowd at a 2019 far-right protest on St Kilda against African gang violence. Picture: by Wayne Taylor

Indigenous leader Marcus Stewart says it is concerning that far-right activist Blair Cottrell was supporting the No campaign, triggering a rebuke from voice to parliament opponents who say the Yes case is “gratefully receiving” support from the Communist Party of Australia.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry also denounced “the paranoid, demented mind of the antisemite” after footage emerged of a man handing out flyers at an anti-voice event in Brisbane that says “every aspect of the Aboriginal voice to parliament is Jewish”.

A No campaign spokesman completely rejected the suggestion it had been “hijacked” by anyone, including Proud Boy members and neo-Nazis, amid calls from Mr Stewart to ensure voice opponents were protecting volunteers on polling booths “from these nasty characters”.

The Albanese government has homed in on the far-right in the final weeks of the campaign, with Anthony Albanese hitting out at misinformation, disinformation and wacky conspiracy theories about the voice.

Mr Cottrell, a high-profile extremist and former United Patriots Front leader, last week reposted The Australian’s story headlined ‘Far-right ‘hijacking’ Indigenous voice to parliament No campaign, says Labor’ with: “Of course we are.”

“It’s politics. Everybody is trying to infiltrate everything in politics. Actually, the ‘far-right’ (read: white Australian workers with access to the internet) has been significantly less successful at infiltrating Australian politics than international Judaism and its leftist rhetoric, which has penetrated every level of social life and is the only reason we’re having this referendum in the first place.”

Mr Sewell, who attended an anti-voice rally on September 23 that was not organised by the No campaign, posted on encrypted messaging platform Telegram on the same day: “The voice, a treaty or a welcome to country isn’t about respect, it’s about guilt being used as a weapon against whites. It is taking power away from whites while we are psychologically disarmed and giving it to a bunch of Jews, abos and traitors.”

Mr Stewart, a member of the government’s referendum working group, said the extremists’ views were concerning.

“They have clearly infiltrated the No campaign and their views have no place in modern Australia. They are hateful, discriminatory and abhorrent. Their involvement is really worrying - but I know Australians will see their fear and hate campaign for what it is,” he said.

A No campaign spokesman said he didn’t know these people, had never met them and didn’t agree with their views.

He said leading No campaigners Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Warren Mundine had been abused by “aggressive” and “violent” Yes supporters.

“There are literally tens of thousands of people involved with the campaign on both sides, and no doubt a wildly divergent number of views,” he said.

“The hypocrisy of the government and the Yes campaign is breathtaking - while simultaneously preaching unity they background media to divide Australians. While launching baseless accusations about people ‘hijacking’ the No campaign, they are openly and gratefully receiving the formal endorsement and support from the Communist Party.”

The Communist Party is set to host an “interactive discussion” with Yes23 campaigner Shireen Morris on Sunday while the Search Foundation, which describes itself as a successor to the CPA, has hosted Indigenous leader and militant unionist Thomas Mayo.

“(Prominent Yes campaigner) Megan Davis marched in front of a Communist flag the other day. I don’t think she’s a Communist. I think when you divide the country what you’re going to have is extremes of both ends come up and support either end,” the No campaign spokesman said.

“I don’t think that’s where campaigns are won and lost. They’re won and lost by the swing voter who comes to the table without a position and says I’ve listened to both campaigns, who will I back?”

The flyer criticised by the ECAJ is emblazoned with pictures of prominent Jewish advocates of the voice including Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, NSW Liberal MP Julian Leeser and lawyer Mark Liebler, as well as Indigenous leader Thomas Mayo.

The Nationalist Socialist Movement Australia has also been active on Telegram, encouraging members to show up to their local No voice rally, blend in and “drop FACTS on the Jewish involvement in the Yes campaign”.

ECAJ chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the voice was just the latest attempt in recent years by the far-right to latch onto popular debates and reorientate public discussion to focus on Jewish people.

“What is particularly troubling about this incident is that it mirrors the language and tactics of US neo-Nazis,” he said.

“It is absolutely essential that we as a society commit to education about antisemitism and the ruin brought by anti-Jewish conspiracy theories. If we fail, the sort of lethal attacks inspired by this propaganda that are routine in the US will begin to hit our shores.”