Racists not welcome in Geelong

On the 15th of July a group of masked men gathered outside the City of Greater Geelong Council building and took a photo of themselves sieg-heiling with a banner that reads ‘Stop Immigration: Keep Geelong White’. The Geelong Advertiser irresponsibly published a front page article drawing attention to a publicity stunt by the National Socialist Network. If it wasn’t for the paper, the fascists presence would have gone unnoticed. These cowards attempted a sly media stunt on a quiet day in the city because they knew that any announcement of a public display of their politics would be met with community opposition. Geelong showed its anti-racist colours in 1997 when a massive community protest shut down a public meeting of One Nation and Pauline Hanson. Since then Geelong has only become more diverse and yet even more integrated.

While the Advertiser may have promoted the illusion that Geelong has a Nazi problem, the reality is that most of the men posing in the photo have been identified as fascist activists from Melbourne. Most National Socialist Network (NSN) members have been exposed in a series of articles entitled ‘Nazis Next Door’ published by The Age. Alongside the press, groups like The White Rose Society keep a constant eye on the activities of Australia’s far right.

The NSN hopes that media stunts in regional areas will draw attention to themselves and allow them to recruit. It should be recognised that the NSN spreads a particularly dangerous form of fascist ideology focused on violent, targeted actions. They attempt to spread division by blaming social issues like housing on false narratives like immigration and cultural liberalism. Throw in some intense misogyny and homophobia and you have the NSN. Most recently they have attempted to capitalise on hysteria about ‘drag queen story time’ and transphobia to drive a wedge into mainstream discourse. While they were in Geelong, they also specifically called out the CFMEU. A reminder that fascism is at its core, an anti-working class ideology. Whatever brand of hate these people are spreading, they should always be opposed. 

We should also keep things in perspective. There is a larger active right-wing in Geelong, from the quiet prejudices of the Liberal party to the swathe of right-wing micro parties that have contested the recent elections. These parties include One Nation, Family First, Australia One, Federation Party, Angry Victorians. There are also groups like MyPlace who masquerade as alternative-health community organisations but promote Holocaust Denial and hatred towards the LGBTQI+ Community. 

There’s no denying Australian society generates a space for prejudiced views, in no small part due to the nation’s history of colonialism, the right-wing monopoly of the media, a government that still detains refugees in offshore detention camps, invades foreign countries and seems intent on encouraging war with China. Capitalist society itself only fosters division and hatred and breeds fascism. The bootlickers on the steps of Geelong council are only a small but extreme manifestation of the violence of the system. 

There will be a community event called by residents from the Northern Suburbs in response to the fascist provocation outside council at 5.30pm on Tuesday the 25th of July. Geelong Anarchist-Communists encourage anyone with anti-racist convictions to attend.