Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said the wording of the banner was clearly anti-Semitic.<\/p>\n
Police allowed neo-Nazi rally outside NSW parliament<\/a><\/p>\n A neo-Nazi rally outside the NSW parliament on Saturday morning was deemed “authorised” because police had chosen not to oppose the public assembly.<\/p>\n “That’s code for abolishing the Jewish people,” he said.<\/p>\n “They are thugs. They are spewing out hatred.”<\/p>\n On Saturday, Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said neither he nor Premier Chris Minns knew about the protest before it began, blaming a communication breakdown within the police force.<\/p>\n Late last month, the group calling itself “White Australia” lodged a Form 1, notifying police of a planned protest.<\/p>\n Mr Speakman said police should have tried to block it.<\/p>\n “Police should have objected to this assembly and, if necessary, they should have gone to court,” he said.<\/p>\n “There’s a very strong argument, in my view, that what occurred yesterday offends \u2026 the new offence of inciting racial hatred.”<\/p>\n Mark Speakman says neo-Nazis who staged the protest outside NSW parliament were “spewing out hatred”. (ABC: Nick Dole)<\/p>\n Mr Speakman said that police also should have issued “move-on” directions to the group, once the nature of their protest became clear.<\/p>\n “I think the police should have moved them on,” he said.<\/p>\n “[Police would] have a reasonable apprehension that this group is going to come close to \u2026 breaching the Crimes Act or other legislation.<\/p>\n “They are intending to intimidate our Jewish community.<\/p>\n “They dressed up like fascists and Nazis in the 1930s.<\/p>\n “There’s no way this should be tolerated.”<\/p>\n Civil liberties groups warn against ‘policy on the run’<\/p>\n Timothy Roberts, president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, said while the neo-Nazi stunt was “deeply concerning” further legislative change was not required.<\/p>\n Timothy Roberts is concerned that NSW Police let a neo-Nazi action “go through to the keeper”. (ABC: Nick Dole)<\/p>\n “The premier has a tendency to announce press conference ideas and law changes on the run,” he said.<\/p>\n He said police already had the ability to challenge protests in court, as they recently demonstrated.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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