NSW Police Approval Of Neo-Nazi Parliament Rally Outrages Community
Image: NSW Parliament House. Source: Rose Marinelli, Shutterstock
NSW Police have come under fire after a neo-Nazi rally outside New South Wales Parliament went ahead on Saturday after it was technically “authorised,” despite the group’s openly anti-Semitic message.
Around 60 men dressed in black gathered at the gates of Parliament on Macquarie Street before 10am, holding a banner calling for the abolition of the “Jewish lobby.”
Organised by an National Socialist Network group called White Australia, the demonstration lasted about 20 minutes, with speakers repeating anti-semitic tropes.
The rally drew immediate condemnation from political and community leaders, raising questions about inconsistent protest enforcement.
The neo-Nazi demonstration today is appalling.
This group is seeking to spread vile hatred against Jewish people and undermine our great Australian multiculturalism.
Their use of a Hitler Youth slogan is chilling. pic.twitter.com/0rpGY7Qwhp
— Allegra Spender (@spenderallegra) November 8, 2025
Just days earlier, NSW Police rejected a protest permit from the Palestine Action Group to protest a state-sponsored weapons expo at Darling Harbour, where ten people were arrested and pepper sprayed.
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NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said officers received a “Form 1” notification from White Australia on October 28, granting legal authorisation under the Summary Offences Act, as police did not formally oppose it.
“The police area command needs to make an assessment on what’s on the Form 1,” Commissioner Lanyon said. “They were comfortable that it was not one they needed to object to.”
Lanyon later admitted he was unaware the protest was happening due to an internal “communication error,” saying he had failed to brief the government.
“The Premier has been very clear that he and the government find what took place today offensive,” he said. The Commissioner confirmed the decision to authorise the rally would now be reviewed.
Minns calls for tougher police powers
Premier Chris Minns called the protest “a shocking display of hatred, racism and anti-Semitism.”
“You don’t want to give these pissants more oxygen, but if you give them an inch, they’ll take a mile,” he said. “They must be met with a clear and unambiguous message from government, political leaders, and ordinary residents: there’s no place for neo-Nazis in Sydney.”
Minns said senior government lawyers were exploring ways to expand police powers and “strengthen protections for public harmony,” a move likely to reignite how such powers are applied.
The neo-Nazi rally also appeared to challenge recently introduced hate speech laws. Section 93ZAA of the Crimes Act, which took effect in August, makes it an offence to publicly incite hatred on racial grounds.
Lanyon said police were reviewing footage to determine whether offences had been committed. “If they are, we’ll take appropriate action and put people before the court,” he said.
Community leaders appalled by neo-Nazi rally approval, demand accountability
Jewish community leaders condemned the rally and the police’s handling of it.
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip warned that ignoring such acts of hate was dangerous.
“Evil left unconfronted becomes evil that is normalised,” he said. “These chilling images and despicable words of hate should never find a home in our society, especially outside the heart of our democracy.”
Alex Ryvchin of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry warned that anti-Semitic conspiracy theories were “more prevalent now than at any time in the past 80 years.” He called for stronger legal tools to monitor and disrupt violent extremists, and for a return to “decency, civility and rationalism.”
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman also condemned the protest, calling it “a calculated act of hate” and “a new low in intimidating our Jewish community.”
He urged zero tolerance from authorities and demanded answers from the Premier, Police Minister, and Police Commissioner over how such a rally was allowed to go ahead.
Hannah Thomas, who was injured by police at a pro-Palestine protest in June, called the authorisation “sickening” and a clear example of double standards.
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