Nazi thugs chased out of Brunswick

Nazi thugs chased out of Brunswick

By Dave Holmes

MELBOURNE — Some 30 neo-nazi toughs trying to hold a "white power" demonstration in multicultural, inner-city Brunswick on March 12 got more than they bargained for. For hours they were trapped against the front of the town hall behind a wall of police, besieged by hundreds of chanting protesters.

The cops attempted to arrange the fascists' safe exit down Sydney Road, but the crowd chased after them until the police blocked off a side street. A little later they were spotted down Dawson Street and the crowd surged off in pursuit. The nazis were chased into the premises of a security firm. The police then spirited them out the back and on to a train out of Brunswick.

There wasn't a swastika in sight. The neo-nazis attempted to tap into anti-immigrant racism. Their provocation was decked out in Eureka flags. Placards read "Australia not Austral-Asia", "Whites have rights" and so on.

But the "white power" bigots misread the time of day. They were obviously uneasy in the face of the 500 or so spirited counter-demonstrators. Adelaide nazi fuehrer Michael Brander attempted to speak but was drowned out by chants of "Bullshit, bullshit!" Perhaps the most popular chant during the day was "Asians are welcome, nazis are not!" At the end the beleaguered nazis were dodging eggs, tomatoes and packets of manure collected from the police horse droppings.

It seems a safe bet that the neo-nazis won't be in a hurry to repeat their Brunswick experience.

From GLW issue 135