Australian neo-Nazi attack on sacred Indigenous site a worrying trend

Melbourne, Australia – Last weekend, a far-right “anti-immigration” march turned into a violent attack on a sacred Indigenous site in Melbourne, which raises serious questions about how police treat and how institutions respond to neo-Nazi groups.

The march on Sunday, which saw members of the self-described neo-Nazi National Socialist Network (NSN) lead chants of “Australia for the white man”, culminated in a group of 50 men storming Camp Sovereignty – the site of a historic Aboriginal burial ground in the city.

The attack left four people injured, with two hospitalised for severe head wounds.

In solidarity with Palestinians in Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza, more than 350, 000 people marched across Australia on behalf of the “March for Australia” protest against mass immigration just one week prior.

The march’s organization revealed neo-Nazi and far-right connections.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), prominent far-right figure Hugo Lennon, an associate of the neo-Nazi NSN, was listed as an original organiser before being quietly removed from the event’s Facebook page days prior.

The NSN’s leader, Thomas Sewell, stated in a statement the day before the march that “March for Australia is about halting immigration.” Our members won’t engage in any illegal behavior or gestures on the day.

For some, the ensuing violence at Camp Sovereignty made clear the event’s underlying intentions.

The Center Against Racial Profiling representative Ilo Diaz said, “The rally was never about immigration but rather an opportunity to display white supremacist ideas in Australia.”

The assault on Camp Sovereignty: “We knew they were coming back.”

The Camp Sovereignty protest site occupies the “Kings Domain” parkland area in central Melbourne.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, particularly the Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, regard the camp as a sovereign embassy of Australia’s First Nation people and a sacred space dedicated to healing generational trauma.

The elders Robbie and Marg Thorpe founded Camp Sovereignty in 2006 as a symbol of the ongoing Indigenous resistance in Australia, which calls for the recognition of Indigenous sovereignty and land rights, and established it as a ceremonial site and burial ground.

Nathalie Farah, who said she was kicked in the stomach during the attack on the camp, said the threat from the far right was evident hours before the violence took place.

Farah told Al Jazeera, “Tom [Sewell] and a few of his mates passed through Camp Sovereignty earlier that morning.”

They desired to enter the sacred fire, they declared. We knew that they were going to come back. Farah claimed that the police were aware that they were returning.

A sizable group, led by Sewell and armed with poles and pipes, began charging the camp at around 5 p.m. local time.

As they tore down First Nation flags and caused the camp with damage, the attackers, who were most likely dressed entirely in black, were seen charging toward the camp and inflicting serious injuries to the site.

The attackers allegedly chanted “white power” and racial slurs while burning the camp’s sacred fire, which is kept burning in honor of the Native ancestors buried there, and while striking the Aboriginal flag, according to the Black Peoples Union, an indigenous political group.

Video clips of the attack showed the men and younger youths specifically targeting women at the camp.

“I had a 15-year-old boy rip my hair, slam me to the ground, and smack me with his fists,” he said. In a witness statement to the Black Peoples Union, a 30-year-old teacher said, “He did it with a smile on his face.”

Naarm Frontline Medics, a volunteer medical group, alleged police arrived at the camp only after the attackers fled, and claimed officers “came with pepper spray drawn on the victims of the assault, not the attackers”.

Officers also allegedly “actively obstructed the victims’ access to emergency medical care” according to the medics.

Victoria Police confirmed that no arrests were made at the location.

A ‘ globally networked ‘ threat

According to researchers, Camp Sovereignty was attacked as part of a growing, internationally connected far-right threat rather than just one incident.

The White Rose Society, a group that tracks far-right extremism, reported to Al Jazeera that the neo-Nazi NSN group is “heavily connected with the international far right” through organizations like Terrorgram and 764/COM, with its leaders “playing a prominent role in the international active club network.”

“Australian fascists and neo-Nazis have extensive reach on social media to an international audience, contributing to neo-Nazi news sites that promote anti-Semitic content”, the group said.

Al Jazeera’s requests for comment were not addressed by the NSN.

The group’s Telegram channel displays multiple videos showing members training in combat techniques and chanting “white men fight back”, content that is also promoted across their TikTok accounts and official website.

Some people have expressed concern about the strict ban on far-right violence from Australian government institutions, as a result of the camp attack.

Jillian Segal, Australia’s special envoy to combat anti-Semitism and the person who was appointed to lead anti-Semitic actions in Australia, has not yet released a statement addressing the neo-Nazi violence.

Segal also declined to address the role of neo-Nazis in the “March for Australia” protest, telling reporters at a conference: “I don’t want to comment on any particular incidents as I think this goes beyond any particular incident”.

Segal claimed in July that she had no involvement in a significant donation made by a business that her husband co-directed to Advance Australia, a conservative advocacy group that campaigns against immigration, pro-Palestinian protests, and the Labor government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Aboriginal Senator Lidia Thorpe, a woman from Djab Wurrung, Gunnai, and Gunditjmara, criticized the far-right’s treatment in Australia as institutional hypocrisy.

“Why are the authorities allowing this to happen? Why allows this to happen, the prime minister? said Senator Thorpe.

Thorpe has demanded a full investigation into the attack on Camp Sovereignty and has directly linked the slow police response to systemic racism in Australian society.

“Every day on the streets of Victoria, we witness how the Victorian Police treat Native Americans. There needs to be a full investigation on the infiltration of the neo-Nazi movement into not only the Victorian police force, but every so-called police force in this country”, Thorpe said.

“I’m sure there are many more police officers in the NSN who wear badges,” she continued.

Last weekend, a significant police presence was present at the March for Australia rally. Videos and witness accounts show police officers walking alongside the demonstrators.

Video shared by the NSN and anti-fascist organizers showed police using pepper spray only on counter-protesters when counter-protesters attempted to avert NSN members from attending the main rally.

Tom Tanuki, a political commentator, claimed that this selecctivity matched a “invariably” far-right pattern of police behavior.

“I wasn’t surprised to see them, as depicted in my video, defending NSN’s entry into the rally and pepper-spraying people out of the way”, Tanuki said.

A strong police response will be provided for anyone who enters the city in the hopes of causing trouble, having hateful behavior, breaking the law, or confronting others, according to a statement released before the march by Victoria Police.

An accountability indicator

More than 48 hours after the attack on Camp Sovereignty, NSN leader Sewell was arrested and charged. A court in Melbourne denied him bail on Friday. Five additional NSN members were detained and released on bail.

Despite the arrests, authorities have not classified the attack on Camp Sovereignty as a racially motivated hate crime, which has prompted condemnation from Aboriginal leaders.

Senator Thorpe unwaveringly stated to Al Jazeera, “Camp Sovereignty is our place of worship. We have a serious issue in this country because the authorities, even the federal parliament and the prime minister, refuse to identify it as a hate crime or treat it as one.

” It’s racism in itself not to call it what it is, “Thorpe said.

Thorpe linked the colonial legacy of Australia to the violence.

She continued, “The war has not come to an end for our people.”

” We have over 600 Aboriginal deaths in custody with no one held accountable. 24 000 of our children have been rescued from their mothers’ arms. Our children are 93 percent of the child prison population, and they are locking up our babies as of the age of 10 until they are 10 years old. The genocide continues. “

Camp Sovereignty is still in place despite the attack, and the Blak Caucus, an organization for Aboriginal resistance, has organized a nationwide day of action on September 13 to show camp solidarity with the camp.

Source: Aljazeera