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A Ballarat community group has called on police to take \u201cswift action\u201d and gave some neo-Nazis a history lesson after the group held an unannounced demonstration through Sturt Street on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Videos on social media showed the National Socialist Network chanting \u201cAustralia is for the white man\u201d and \u201cHail victory\u201d while walking in black clothes, balaclavas and sunglasses to protect their identities.<\/p>\n
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A nazi group made an unannounced walk through Ballarat on Sunday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Twitter<\/cite><\/p>\n The group reportedly posed for pictures at the Eureka Monument as Sunday was the anniversary of the Eureka Stockade while another photo on X, formerly Twitter, showed the group posing for a photo in front of what appears to be Ballarat Police Station.<\/p>\n Police said they chose to keep the peace and provide a safe passage for the march and are reviewing footage to see if the group breached Victoria\u2019s anti-Nazi symbol laws.<\/p>\n Ballarat Community Alliance condemned the \u201csmall group\u201d in a statement on Facebook and called on police to act.<\/p>\n The alliance also refused to allow the group to \u201cco-opt\u201d the Eureka story which saw a diverse mix of miners united to rebel against the colonial government.<\/p>\n \u201cWe condemn this group of blow-ins and their message of hate,\u201d Ballarat Community Alliance wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have come to Ballarat to co-opt the Eureka legacy on the inclusive and peaceful commemoration of the anniversary of Eureka Stockade.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Eureka stockade had an African American co-leader, John Joseph, who was arrested alongside other stockade leaders and put on trial. Charles Dyte and Henry Harris both were both Jewish members of the Ballarat Reform League – the voice of the frustrated miners.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are a proud multicultural city and at the recent referendum were one of the biggest Yes votes in regional Australia. We are a safe and inclusive city and we unequivocally condemn their presence in this city.<\/p>\n \u201cVictoria has new laws that prohibit the performance or display of Nazi symbols or gestures. Why weren\u2019t these laws enforced by police who instead helped the neo-Nazis by making safe passage through the street for their protest?<\/p>\n \u201cWe will be raising this incident with police and demand a swift response. Neo-Nazis are not welcome in Ballarat.\u201d<\/p>\n Police said the demonstration was unplanned and video and CCTV would be reviewed.<\/p>\n \u201cPolice attended an unplanned demonstration in Ballarat about 12.30pm on Sunday,\u201d a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were no major incidents of note during the demonstration. However, as a matter of course, police will review any vision or CCTV from the day.<\/p>\n \u201cOur top priority was keeping the peace to ensure the event did not impact the safety of the broader community.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone has the right to feel safe in our community regardless of who they are. We understand incidents of anti-Semitism can leave communities feeling targeted, threatened and vulnerable. Hate and prejudice has no place in our society.\u201d<\/p>\n