A South African man who attended a neo-Nazi rally and chanted Hitler youth slogans will be deported from Australia.
Matthew Gruter was one of 60 demonstrators affiliated with the National Socialist Network who protested outside the NSW Parliament on November 9, shouting Nazi slogans and unfurling a large banner reading “Abolish the Jewish Lobby”.
But his time in Australia is up after Home Secretary Tony Burke confirmed on Monday that he had revoked Gruter’s visa.
“If you have a visa, you are a guest. If you are a citizen, you are a full member of the Australian family,” Burke said.
“As with any household, if a guest shows up to show hatred and destroy the household, they will be told it is time to go home.”
The protest attracted universal criticism, with NSW Premier Chris Minns labeling those involved as ‘pissants’ and marking a further tightening of protest laws in response.
Police said a communication error within the force left some top officers – including Commissioner Mal Lanyon – unaware the protest was taking place.
Minns has since confirmed that the government is aiming to introduce new laws to crack down on hate speech.
The NSN gathered outside the NSW Parliament in June, when participants wore black uniforms and displayed a banner with the words “End Immigration”.
In recent years, there have been numerous protests involving NSN members in capitals and villages. In September, members of the group marched at anti-immigration rallies in Sydney and Melbourne.
The fringe group has stepped up efforts to form a political party in a bid to break into the mainstream, which would require 750 members to join the party and formally register.
Minns wondered if that would happen, since those members would then have to publicly associate their names with neo-Nazism.
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