Concerns about pro-war support grow in Sydney after Town Hall concert ‘hijack’

By CHRISTINE CHEN

The actions of a group brandishing pro-Russian symbols during an Orthodox Easter music concert in the heart of Sydney last Friday have been condemned by the concert’s organisers, politicians, diplomats, and community leaders.

Audience members say a group of seven men dressed in all black, emblazoned with the letter ‘Z’, and carrying Russian flags were “gate-crashing” the concert, before lining up in front of the crowd of about 800 people.

On the same day Russian air strikes murdered a two year old Ukrainian child as well as dozens of civilians, Russian imperialists proudly show off the Z symbol of war at Sydney Town Hall. I call on the government to ban the Z war symbol just like the Nazi swastika. @reshetz… pic.twitter.com/5BG6RsQYaT

— Drew Pavlou (@DrewPavlou) April 29, 2023

“Their presence was definitely political,” said Malcolm McPherson, a concertgoer on Friday night.

“They seemed to be trying to interact with audience members, possibly clergy, at the front left of the hall…when the concert was over they were holding a very large banner which required three or four people to hold up,” he told City Hub.

The concert, organised by the Russian Orthodox Male Choir of Australia (ROMCA) and sponsored by Multicultural NSW and the City of Sydney council, aimed to be a “positive and inclusive vehicle for peace and harmony” for Sydney’s Antiochian, Greek, Russian and Serbian people, showcasing choirs from each ethnic community.

Shortly after the event’s conclusion, images and videos of the pro-Russian supporters began circulating on social media, prompting the ROMCA to dissociate itself from the group.

“As organisers of the choral we were concerned,” it said on Facebook, writing that it is “apolitical, and promotes peace and harmony. ROMCA’s message is one of peace and love, not hatred and fear.”

On Twitter, the City of Sydney council stated the concert’s rehearsal showed no indication of any political activity, calling the incident an unprecedented “hijack”.

Joseph La Posta, CEO of Multicultural NSW, tweeted “I absolutely condemn any kind of violence, glorification of violence or symbols of violence.” Multicultural NSW added that it had referred the matter onto NSW Police, stating that it will “work with the many amazing community leaders in NSW to offer support.”

I absolutely condemn any kind of violence, glorification of violence or symbols of violence. I’ve asked our @m_culturalnsw team to reach out to you directly ASAP.

— Joseph La Posta (@Joseph_LaPosta) May 1, 2023

“It’s a disgusting public display of the Z symbol…Z stands for the Russian aggression in Ukraine, rape and murder,” tweeted Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko on Saturday.

The ‘Z’ logo worn by the group was first observed on Russian military vehicles at the Ukraine border in February 2022. Over a year later, its use has proliferated to become a symbol synonymous with support of Russian aggression and totalitarianism.

In January, organisers of the Australian Open were forced to prohibit all spectators from bringing flags of the Russian tricolour and Russian empire, and items with the ‘Z’ symbol after their use by some spectators. However, despite calls to ban the symbol, its use is not illegal in Australia.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said in a statement condemning the group that seeing “young men posing for photos in the Town Hall wearing ‘Z’ t-shirts” was “a shock”.

We do not tolerate displays of hate or discrimination anywhere in our city. We are disappointed that this event, designed to celebrate diverse communities, was hijacked by a political group. We are reviewing what happened and the impact of this event on future bookings. 3/3

— City of Sydney (@cityofsydney) May 1, 2023

Ilya Fomin, President of Svoboda Alliance NSW, a community organisation of “antiwar Russian Australians”, expressed his belief that the group’s presence and display of pro-war symbols in an iconic Sydney venue, in the presence of representatives from state government agency officials, was a deliberate act of propaganda.

“It was definitely staged to create a false narrative that the NSW government supported their actions,” he told City Hub, noting how quick pro-Russian media outlets were to report on the incident.

Fomin also noted the pro-Russian movement’s connections with other far-right, extremist causes. “Pro-Russian sentiment has spread beyond just Russian nationals, it is being adopted by all sorts of anti-government and anti-democracy groups,” he said.

In the days following the incident, users on Twitter have since claimed to identify neo-Nazis and Serbian nationalists as being among the group of men wearing the ‘Z’ symbol, captured in the footage taken from inside Sydney Town Hall. Telegram messages also reveal their actions were endorsed and linked to Simeon Boikov, a pro-Putin campaigner based in Sydney.

Despite its statement denouncing Friday’s events, the ROMCA also performed for the Double Headed Eagle Society, a far-right fundamental Orthodox Russian-based organisation spearheaded by Boikov.

Fomin also warned that other Russian-related events in NSW could also be susceptible to stunts used to further pro-Russian agendas.

“There was a reasonable expectation something like this could happen [at the Sydney Town Hall]. It is very likely the upcoming Victory Day car convoy will be used to deliver a similar message,” he said.

Fomin has written to the City of Sydney Council to request the cancellation of the event’s permit, but has not yet received a response.