‘Disturbing’ neo-Nazi posters and symbols found in Brisbane suburbs

Hateful neo-Nazi flyers and symbols reported across Brisbane suburbs prompting fears among Jewish leaders that Queensland is following the same hateful pattern as southern states.

Flyers dropped into letterboxes in Brisbane by the National Socialist Movement Australia. Photo: supplied

Hateful neo-Nazi flyers and symbols are being reported across Brisbane suburbs with Queensland Jewish leaders warning Queensland is following the same pattern as southern states.

Its understood hundreds of black and white promotional material calling on “white Australians” to join the National Socialist Movement have been distributed in Moorooka and Annerley letterboxes last week.

The neo-Nazi material contains hateful messages that are anti-Jewish and anti-immigrant, brandishing an image of Hitler and claiming “every single aspect of mass immigration is Jewish.”

The Courier-Mail also visited a park where a freshly red painted swastika had been spray painted on a bench at a children’s playground in Albany Creek on Monday.

This comes as a Jewish business family’s home in Middle Park Melbourne was attacked by vandals with anti-Semitic graffiti drawn across the front fence on Friday while police vehicles and residential buildings were damaged with offensive graffiti in Sydney’s east overnight.

City of Moreton Bay has received a total of 10 priority 1 graffiti requests since last Thursday, eight of those being at Redcliffe, Margate or Woody Point.

Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery said he was appalled by reports of anti-Semitic graffiti in City of Moreton Bay.

Nazi graffiti at Matthew Hawthorne Reserve in Albany Creek. Picture: Tara Croser.

“There is absolutely no place for this disgraceful act of racism in our community, and I expect those responsible to be dealt with by the full force of the law,” Mr Flannery said.

Displaying Nazi symbolism or conducting the salute and other gestures became a criminal offence in December 2023 as a counter-terrorism legislation amendment.

The offence has a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment.

A Queensland Police spokesperson confirmed they had received one report of a flyer being placed into an Annerley letterbox last week.

“The QPS takes all instances of threats against cultural and religious communities with the utmost seriousness,” a QPS spokesperson said.

“Everyone in Queensland has a right to feel safe, to not feel threatened or victimised. The QPS urges anyone who feels threatened or fearful by the actions of others to contact Police.”

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schinner condemned the incidents and called on the state and federal governments to enforce hate crime laws.

“This is a city that has no place for that kind of hatred,’’ he said.

“We must stamp out this kind of attitude. Ultimately, there are hate laws in place.

“There are laws against discrimination in place and I call on the state and federal governments to enforce those laws because, ultimately, we all rely on those laws to keep our community harmonious.

“We need to protect the harmony of our communities. We have, I think, been a model for other cities on how to get along.’’

The Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies president Jason Steinberg said the flyers from the extreme right wing organisation were “evil.”

“For them to be distributed again in Brisbane shows that anti-Semitism is sadly alive and well in in our city and for the Jewish people who reported these flyers it was very disturbing for them,” Mr Steinberg

“This kind of flyers is not just anti-Semitic or anti-Jewish. This is against our values as western society who want everybody to be welcome into our country.”

Mr Steinberg said the vandalism appearing across Brisbane suburbs is “really disturbing” for the Jewish community.

“But the fact we have laws in place now, those laws need to be used to the forced extent,” he said.

Mr Steinberg has urged members of the public with CCTV footage of the letterbox drops and vandalism to provide to Queensland Police.

It comes amid soaring antisemitism across the country, and after a foiled terror plot in NSW, with Anthony Albanese under pressure to act.

Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy confirmed Queensland Police were involved in the interstate operation unfolding as part of the investigation.

Officers found mining explosives, a note that read “f —k” the Jews and another note with the address of a Sydney Synagogue and other Jewish buildings after a local alerted police to the contents of a caravan on January 19.

Mr Steinberg said Queensland is following the same “pattern” that was previously observed in Melbourne and Sydney in the lead up to the fire bombings and targeted attacks.

“There was a lot of graffiti and posters and marching in the street, all those things we have had here, tracking the same kind of incidents of anti-Semitism, a lot less but proportionally high,” Mr Steinberg said.

Flyers dropped into letterboxes in Brisbane by the National Socialist Movement Australia. Photo: supplied

“We are on the same trajectory to our southern community the rise in anti-Semitic incidents has been there since the seventh of October and continues to rise.

“These are hate crimes.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Jewish people were living in fear and needed to know that red lines were going to be implemented and enforced.

It has also been previously reported Jewish Australians are hiding their identities to protect themselves against anti-Semitism.

Associate Professor Nazarathy said in conversations he has had with Jewish students and professionals, he knows of many cases where individuals do not wish to reveal their Jewish identity.

“This is especially stark in humanities departments in Universities as well as in the healthcare sector. In both of these domains, the anti-Israel and Zionist vilification sphere of influence is high,” Mr Nazarathy said.

A spokesperson for Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said the flyers being dropped into suburban letterboxes goes against everything we stand for as Queenslanders.

“The Attorney-General does not condone any act that encourages or incites hatred or violence towards another person on the basis of their race or religion,” a spokesperson said.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe, especially in their own homes and communities.”

Police have urged anyone with information that may assist investigations, or reports of similar instances to come forward.

Originally published as ‘Disturbing’ neo-Nazi posters and symbols found in Brisbane suburbs