logo
‘Unmask them now': Police powers questioned as neo-Nazis flex their muscles

‘Unmask them now': Police powers questioned as neo-Nazis flex their muscles

'I thank police who maintained the public order. It's clear they need more powers, and we're giving it to them,' she said.
Loading
'We're not afraid of these goons – but we won't tolerate them either.'
In footage posted to social media of the CBD march, police vehicles can be seen gathering at the corner of Bourke and Swanston streets in front of the group, before reversing out of the way of the march and allowing the neo-Nazis to proceed east along Bourke Street.
A 26-year-old man confronted the group and was allegedly assaulted. The man, of no fixed address, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A number of police vehicles followed the neo-Nazis as they walked to Flagstaff Gardens, before they were dispersed about 1.25am.
When asked why the protest was allowed to proceed, a spokeswoman for Victoria Police said officers were 'quick to respond to ensure public order was maintained'.
'No arrests were made throughout the protest and police had a strong presence to maintain community safety and to prevent any breach of the peace,' the spokeswoman said.
'Victoria Police respects the right to protest; however, there is absolutely no place for antisemitic, racist or hate-based behaviour in our society and police will not tolerate such activity.'
Deakin University Associate Professor Joshua Roose, an expert in right-wing extremists, said there was limited action available to police to disperse the group, in the absence of banning face coverings or requiring protest permits.
He said the group's choice to rally late at night is a deliberate tactic, timed for when police resources are stretched thin.
'The group would be attempting to use this march to gain publicity for their national meeting today, build this sense of a movement, and inflate their numbers,' Roose said, adding they likely included members from across the country.
'They have these snap rallies where they will show up unexpectedly in a location, often in the dead of night and then attempt to use that for online propaganda and any residual media coverage.
'In this case, they revel in being able to march through Melbourne without being arrested or intercepted by police.'
He said that while protest permits would not be needed in an ideal democracy, the 'highly polarised political environment' means the government should consider them.
Members of the NSN gathered before midday at a property outside a town north-west of Melbourne ahead of the group's 'national conference'. Organisers have claimed up to 250 people are attending the conference, which they said was due to run until Monday.
Wearing black attire, those involved with the group stood at the end of a country laneway next to a caravan park, using binoculars and a drone to watch police and media gathered on a main road nearby.
One shirtless man, wearing a jumper adorned with a picture of Adolf Hitler tied around his waist, walked down the lane towards police alongside two other people.
He used a walkie-talkie before returning to the bigger group further down the road.
A journalist and photographer, who remained inside their vehicle, were allegedly assaulted by members of the network in the lead-up to the meeting.
Police said the man and woman, who sustained minor injuries, were able to leave the area and report the matter to nearby police.
Opposition police spokesman David Southwick claimed Victoria had become the 'hate state' with extremists free to march through the city and police unable to stop them.
'To see last night – police pretty much having to chaperone the protesters because they can't arrest them – what's that about?'
Southwick said the government needed to urgently introduce a protest permit system, as well as bolster police's move-on powers.
Loading
'These extremists are gutless cowards. They cover their faces, hide their identities. The government promised laws to ensure that people can't cover their faces at protests. Where are those laws now?' he said.
Legal activist groups have disputed claims that police need more powers, arguing the issue is being used as an excuse to expand police authority.
Anthony Kelly from Melbourne Activist Legal Support, a group which regularly attends protests as a legal observer, said police already had the powers they needed to shut down neo-Nazi gatherings.
'The actions and banners are highly provocative and by themselves form a breach of the peace,' he said.
'The police can act on these if they have sufficient resources for mass arrests and attention to the issue. But in the past they have failed to focus on these actors as a problem, so they have been able to operate with a degree of impunity.'
Victoria's new police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush last month ruled out pushing for protest permits, saying they have failed to be a game-changer in jurisdictions such as NSW, where they were introduced to curb violence and hate speech by neo-Nazi groups and some pro-Palestine groups.
'We've had a look at it and it's not something we're going to drive towards,' Bush said. 'We've had a look at other jurisdictions that do that, and it's not the game-breaker.'
Opposition Leader Brad Battin said the scenes of intimidation had no place in Victoria, accusing the government of allowing hateful behaviour to thrive.
'The actions of alleged neo-Nazis is not unexpected when you have a government that is afraid to take a stand against weekly racist protests in Melbourne,' he said in a statement.
'Protesters are now travelling from interstate to join these hateful rallies.'
Saturday morning's CBD march was led by white supremacist leader Thomas Sewell, and members of the group hoisted banners stating 'White man fight back' and flew the Australian and National Socialist Network flags.
Sewell was found guilty of attacking a Channel Nine security guard outside the network's headquarters in March 2021. He was also jailed for 37 days after pleading guilty to a separate attack on three bushwalkers who filmed his group at the Cathedral Ranges National Park at Taggerty in May 2021.
After the firebombing of the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea in December, the Victorian government announced new laws which would stop people from wearing balaclavas at protests to stamp out hateful behaviour.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Two men in their 30s arrested over armed Lego theft that ended with toy store employee chasing them through shopping centre
Two men in their 30s arrested over armed Lego theft that ended with toy store employee chasing them through shopping centre

Sky News AU

time12 hours ago

  • Sky News AU

Two men in their 30s arrested over armed Lego theft that ended with toy store employee chasing them through shopping centre

Two men have been arrested for allegedly stealing Lego after Victoria Police raided their properties in Melbourne's west. Detectives from Hume Crime Investigation Unit executed multiple search warrants in Werribee on Thursday over an alleged armed robbery at a local toy store. 'It is alleged the men entered a toy store at a shopping centre on Evans Street, armed with a weapon, about 4.30pm on Thursday, 7 August,' Victoria Police said in a statement. 'They allegedly stole items, including Lego worth around $1000.' Police said a female staff member had confronted the pair before chasing them through the shopping centre. 'A female staff member confronted the offenders as they were about to leave the store, before one of them allegedly threatened her,' Victoria Police said. 'She was not physically injured and attempted to chase them on foot through the shopping centre and car park.' Search warrants were executed at two properties in Werribee, with Victoria Police arresting two men, aged 34 and 35. Both men have been charged with armed robbery, theft from shop, assault and bail offences. They were set to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Friday.

Major crackdown on 30 childcare centres
Major crackdown on 30 childcare centres

Perth Now

time13 hours ago

  • Perth Now

Major crackdown on 30 childcare centres

The federal government has launched compliance action against 30 childcare centres as it moves desperately to ramp up child safety measures in the wake of jarring allegations of widespread failures across the embattled sector. Education Minister Jason Clare, speaking on Friday, said the 30 centres had failed to meet National Quality Standards and he would withdraw funding from them if they did not lift their performance over the next six months. 'We have taken action swiftly under the new legislation to begin rebuilding confidence in a system that parents need to have confidence in,' he said. 'This is not about closing centres down, it's about lifting standards up. 'Over the next six months, these centres will need to lift their game or they will face further consequences including the cutting off of funding.' The centres, which have not been named, now have 48 hours to notify parents of the action. Not meeting quality and safety standards can include failures to provide for play area safety, hygiene, staff training or supervision. The compliance blitz follows the passage of legislation through federal parliament last month giving the government the power to strip funding from centres that fail to meet basic standards. Education Minister Jason Clare has threatened to cut off funding from 30 childcare centres. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Centres can also be stripped of their childcare subsidy approval. Early Childhood Education Minister Jess Walsh said the government would put the 'safety and wellbeing' of children 'first and foremost'. 'Today's action should signal to all early childhood education and care providers that the National Quality Standards are not optional and that all services must be up to scratch,' she said. The country is reeling from multiple allegations of shocking and widespread failures in child safety across the sector. On July 1, Victoria Police announced horrific child sex abuse allegations against child care worker Joshua Dale Brown, alleging he had offended against eight children while working for the Creative Gardens Point Cook centre between October 2021 and February 2024. Mr Brown worked in at least 23 centres across Victoria between January 2017 and May 2025 and he held a valid Working With Children Check (WWCC). Later that month, it was revealed the Australian Federal Police had charged David William James with abusing children at six after-school care centres between 2021 and 2024. Alleged child sex abuser Joshua Brown worked at several centres over between 2017 and 2025. Picture Supplied. Credit: Supplied Dramatic reforms are now expected for the sector. On Friday, state and federal attorney-generals met to discuss how to toughen up safety. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has promised a 'banned in one, banned in all' system – in which a person banned from holding a WWCC in one state cannot obtain one in another. Under the changes, criminal histories will be updated and shared in real time between jurisdictions and the criteria that determines who is able to obtain a WWCC will be strengthened. 'It is notable that nefarious individuals have been shopping around the working with children check system and exploiting loopholes,' Ms Rowland said. Ms Rowland said the new national system would be operational by the end of the year. Both the Victorian and NSW governments have also pledged to ban personal mobile devices from centres. Major providers, including G8 Education and Affinity, have pledged to install CCTV into their centres.

Accused cold case killer bailed but case against him 'not weak'
Accused cold case killer bailed but case against him 'not weak'

9 News

time17 hours ago

  • 9 News

Accused cold case killer bailed but case against him 'not weak'

Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here An accused murderer will walk from court after a judge found his special vulnerabilities will make his time in custody more difficult. Victorian Supreme Court Justice Rita Incerti granted bail to Steven Johnson, 73, this morning, five months after he was charged with the murder of Christopher Jarvis. Johnson, who was seated in the dock wearing a neck brace, pulled off his glasses and wiped away tears as he learnt of the decision. Christopher Jarvis disappeared and his car was found burnt out in 2006. His body was never found but investigators believe it is buried in the forest. (Victoria Police) (Nine) "Thank you, Your Honour," Johnson told Justice Incerti. "I will obey all those (bail) orders, as I have previously." Jarvis, 38, was last seen leaving his home in Wangoom, near Warrnambool, in Victoria's west, in June 2006. His body has not yet been found but police believe it is buried in Framlingham Forest, a native woodland owned by an Indigenous trust. Johnson was first charged with Jarvis' murder in November 2022 but the charge was dropped in August 2023. His alleged co-accused Glenn Fenwick ultimately pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter after agreeing to make a statement to police against Johnson. Fenwick, who could be released on parole as early as October, claims he joined Johnson in confronting Jarvis over outstanding rent. It's alleged Johnson struck Jarvis in his driveway, threw him to the ground and then fired a starter pistol near his ear when he would not stop screaming for help. Fenwick claims he only helped hold Jarvis down and then load him into the boot of the car, before they all drove to Framlingham Forest. It's alleged Johnson then struck Jarvis to the head with a baseball bat before removing his clothes and burying him in a shallow grave. Johnson's barrister Patrick Doyle SC on Thursday argued the prosecution case against his client was weak as it centred around Fenwick's evidence. Steven Johnson arrives at the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne, Thursday, August 14, 2025. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett) (AAP) There were discrepancies in Fenwick's story and the fact he made the statement to receive a discounted sentence would give a jury reason to pause, Doyle said. But Justice Incerti today found the prosecution's case against Johnson could not be described as weak, although there were triable issues. She accepted much of the evidence against Johnson came from Fenwick and the ultimate strength or weakness of his account would be examined at a committal hearing in January. "Credibility and reliability will be a central issue in this case," Justice Incerti said. The judge pointed to Johnson's "special vulnerabilities" including his age and medical conditions as exceptional reasons why he should be granted bail. She noted those vulnerabilities have made his time in custody more difficult, as he has not received some of the medical care he needed. Justice Incerti also rejected prosecution claims Johnson was an unacceptable risk of contacting Fenwick or moving Jarvis' body if released. She said a series of bail conditions, including a no-contact order and a ban from entering Framlingham Forest, could alleviate any concerns. Johnson's wife put forward a $500,000 surety as part of his bail, while the 74-year-old will also have to follow a 9pm to 6am curfew. He will return to Warrnambool Magistrates Court in January for his committal hearing. Melbourne Victoria national Australia courts CONTACT US Auto news: Honda here to stay in Australia, announces growth plans.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store