South African man seen at neo-Nazi rally has Australian visa revoked

A South African man who was seen attending a neo-Nazi rally outside an Australian state parliament has had his visa revoked.

Matthew Gruter, who has been in Australia since 2022, took part in an anti-Jewish protest outside the New South Wales parliament organised by the National Socialist Network earlier this month.

He was seen among around 60 men clad in black, who held up a banner that said “Abolish the Jewish lobby”, Australian media report.

Australia has seen a recent rise in right-wing extremism. Its government made the Nazi salute punishable by a mandatory prison term earlier this year.

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, confirmed the cancellation of Mr Gruter’s visa, saying: “If you are on a visa, you are a guest.

“If you’re a citizen, you’re a full member of the Australian family. Like with any household, if a guest turns up to show hatred and wreck the household, they can be told it’s time to go home.”

Mr Gruter moved to Australia with his wife and works as a civil engineer, according to ABC News.

The National Socialist Network, which organised the rally on 8 November, is a well-known neo-Nazi group in Australia. Mr Gruter is a senior member of the group in New South Wales, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Demonstrators repeatedly chanted “blood and honour”, a slogan associated with the Hitler Youth, according to ABC News.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns described the rally, which lasted about 20 minutes, as a “shocking display of hatred and racism and antisemitism”.

Sarah Schwartz, executive officer of the Jewish Council of Australia, told ABC News neo-Nazi groups were a threat to multiculturalism in the country and there needed to be a distinction between peaceful protests and “hateful stunts”.

“They’re acts of hate speech, and they should be considered as such,” she added.