Police break up ‘hateful’ white supremacist protest

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Police have broken up a “hateful” white supremacist demonstration where a neo-Nazi ranted that “third-world” labour was replacing local jobs.

Some 50 black-clad demonstrators were moved on by police in Corowa on Saturday. (HANDOUT/THE NOTICER

Condemned by political leaders as disgraceful, cowardly and hateful, police were required to break up about 50 people demonstrating in Corowa, on the Murray River, on Saturday afternoon.

A group of balaclava-wearing men were spotted huddled under a sign that read “white man fight back”, with their leader – Thomas Sewell – delivering a tirade suggesting white people are being “pushed out” of their towns.

Federation Council, which represents Corowa, said it proudly stood with its multicultural community to reject such extreme racism.

“The incitement of hate in any form is simply unacceptable and as shown by our community members yesterday who came together in large numbers to ask the protest group to leave Corowa, this type of divisive behaviour will not be tolerated here,” a council spokeswoman said.

Police said no arrests were made but inquiries into the incident were ongoing.

A Melbourne resident, who grew up in Corowa and was in town visiting family, told AAP she was at a community garden near the main street when she heard a commotion.

“We heard the chanting ‘white man, fight back’,” said the woman, who did not wish to be named.

“It’s a small, sleepy town usually, so to hear anything coming from the main street is odd but to hear that being chanted through the street was appalling.”

In his rant, Mr Sewell alleged foreign companies had purchased businesses within the town to fire locals and “import cheap labour from the Third World to replace them”.

“The people that are destroying this country are doing it out of greed and out of hatred for us white Australians,” he said.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said her state would continue to strengthen anti-vilification legislation, having already banned public displays of the Nazi salute.

“It is still disgraceful, it is cowardly, it is hurtful and it is hateful, and there is absolutely no no place in any part of our community or organisation for this sort of hateful behaviour,” she said.

NSW Premier Chris Minns delivered similar sentiments.

“We have a very simple message for these far right extremists and neo-Nazis, who are not from our state – you’re not welcome in NSW,” he said.

Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, who is the local federal MP, condemned Saturday’s rally but said she was heartened community members had made it clear to them racism had no place in Corowa.

Also on Saturday, a 65-year-old Victorian police sergeant was questioned by detectives as part of an investigation into allegations she twice performed the Nazi salute.

She is accused of approaching two employees at the force’s academy in Melbourne on Tuesday afternoon and performing the salute, as well as uttering the words “heil Hitler”.

In a post family violence scenario debriefing with a recruit squad and another instructor, the sergeant again allegedly performed the salute and said “heil Hitler”.

State and federal governments have banned Nazi symbols and gestures following concerns about a rise in anti-Semitism.

Neo-nazi Jacob Hersant, 25, became the first Victorian found guilty of intentionally performing the Nazi salute in public on Tuesday.

Hersant walked free from court on Wednesday but Magistrate Brett Sonnet has indicated he will be sentenced to jail on November 8.

A Sydney court was told last month three men accused of performing Nazi salutes outside an inner city Jewish museum in 2023 were joking, with one saying he was mimicking the act of British comedian Ricky Gervais.

The trio have pleaded not guilty to charges of behaving in an offensive manner in public and knowingly displaying Nazi symbols without an excuse.

By: Alex Mitchell and Callum Godde/AAP