‘Not who we are’: premier condemns far-right protest
A far-right protest march through Brisbane has been condemned by Queensland’s premier and the Jewish community.
Steven Miles
A group of about 40 people marched through the city centre on Sunday under the watchful eye of police.
One member has been charged with incitement and another three have been handed infringement notices following the protest.
Police will allege the group became disruptive and obstructed officers, with four men taken into custody.
A 19-year-old Victorian man has been charged with inciting others to incite vilification, and is due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on on August 23.
Two other Victorian men, aged 20 and 27, were issued infringement notices along with a 51-year-old Cooktown man.
Premier Steven Miles said he struggled to believe the protest was taking place in the Sunshine State.
“I saw that footage and thought, I can’t believe that’s happening in Queensland,” he told reporters on Monday.
“That kind of language and sentiment, it’s not only abhorrent, it’s not what Queensland stands for.
“It’s not who we are and I’ll let the police determine what actions there are appropriate, but I can only condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
Co-CEO of The Executive Council of Australian Jewry told J-Wire: “This march by neo-Nazis in a State capital should never have been allowed to go ahead. At a time when political and community leaders across the country are sounding the alarm about the erosion of social cohesion in Australia, and the Director General of ASIO has warned about the speed with which violent rhetoric can escalate into violent behaviour, the glorification of racism, terrorism and other forms of violent extremism can no longer be regarded a legitimate exercise of the right of peaceful protest. The reality is that they are anything but peaceful.”
Australia’s terror level has been raised from “possible” to “probable” because of an increased risk of politically motivated violence.
Probable is the third-highest threat level on the federal government’s advisory scale.
AAP with J-Wire
