A provocative neo-Nazi rally took place outside the New South Wales Police Force headquarters near the steps of the New South Wales Parliament in Sydney on Saturday morning. Around 60 men dressed in black participated, carrying a banner that read “Abolish the Jewish Lobby” and chanting slogans such as “Blood and Honour” — a motto associated with Nazi Youth.
The protest was organised by a group linked to the National Socialist Network (NSN) and operated under the state’s “Form 1” public assembly notification process. Because police did not formally oppose the application, the gathering was treated as “authorised” under the law.
Commissioner Mal Lanyon of the NSW Police acknowledged that he and senior officials were unaware that the protest had been approved — describing the lack of briefing as a “communication error.”
Premier Chris Minns condemned the event, calling it a “shocking display of hatred, racism and antisemitism” and stated that if the government had its time again the rally would not have been permitted. He confirmed a review will be conducted into police processes and hinted at possible legislative changes to prevent similar incidents.
Jewish community leaders decried the rally as a deeply troubling sign of emboldened hate extremism. Alex Ryvchin of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry described the spectacle as “grotesque” and called for more robust enforcement of existing laws.
Opposition leader Mark Speakman accused police of applying a double standard, noting that previous protests had been tightly regulated while this far-right demonstration was allowed to proceed unimpeded.
In response to the incident, both the Multicultural NSW Advisory Board and the NSW Faith Affairs Council released a joint statement, saying the event exposed “people who seek to create division, instil fear, spread hate and erode social harmony.” They reaffirmed that racism, religious intolerance, hate and extremism have no place in New South Wales, and expressed solidarity with the Jewish community.
The incident has reignited public debate about how to balance freedom of assembly with protections against hate speech and extremist gatherings. The forthcoming review will examine how protest approvals are processed, whether existing laws were breached in this case, and whether additional powers are needed for police to intervene earlier.
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