Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vows to defend hate group laws as neo-Nazis plan court fight

Members and supporters of a now-banned hate group have rushed to delete their online footprints, warning “don’t allow yourself to become an example made by the state”. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced on Friday the National Socialist Network (NSN), and affiliated groups White Australia and the European Australian Movement, would be listed as a prohibited hate group under Australian law at midnight. This was the second such listing after Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir. Under the designation, Mr Burke said supporting, funding, training, recruiting, joining, or directing this group constitutes a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. “It sends a clear message to people who believe in racial supremacy that their views have no place in modern Australia,” he said on Friday. In response to the new laws passing parliament earlier this year in the wake of the alleged Bondi terror attack, the NSN announced the group would disband. However, Mr Burke alleged they had changed their name and continued organising. “Effectively what they did, for want of a better term, is phoenix,” he said. “(They) changed their name, they did not change the fact they were still an organisation and still engaged in the exact sort of behaviour that met the threshold for this legislation. “It doesn’t matter what they call themselves, or how they structure themselves, these groups use all the well-known techniques of thuggery and menace that Nazis have always used against Jewish communities and other groups they have targeted.” Following the announcement on Friday, former members of the NSN have wiped their public social media profiles as a message is shared among supporters of the group. It warns supporters to “proceed with extreme caution” and not praise the group online, share posts or footage and leave group chats containing “ex-members”. “Please take this seriously,” it reads. “Don’t allow yourself to become and example made by the state.” In a statement shared online by former NSN leader Thomas Sewell, he claimed the move was because the government “hates white Australians” and was a response to his attempt to create a new political party. Mr Sewell said he had filed a High Court appeal against the laws. Speaking on Saturday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government was “absolutely confident” the challenge would fail. “We’ve outlawed the neo-Nazis that have gone through various name changes but the policies remain the same; the policies of hatred, the policies of antisemitism, the policies of trying to divide people against and target people who are Australians,” he said. “They’re important laws for Australians and we will stand by them, we will defend them.”