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

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

Matthew Grutter, who has been in Australia since 2022, participated in an anti-Jewish protest outside the NSW Parliament organized by the National Socialist Network earlier this month.

He was seen among about 60 men dressed in black and carrying a banner that read, “Abolish the Jewish lobby,” according to Australian media.

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

Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed Mr Grutter’s visa had been cancelled, saying: “If you have a visa, you are a guest.

“If you are a citizen, you are a full member of the Australian family. As with any family, if a guest shows up to show hatred and destroy the family, they can be told it is time to go home.”

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

The National Socialist Network, which organized the demonstration on 8 November, is a well-known neo-Nazi group in Australia. Mr Grutter is a prominent member of the group in New South Wales, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The demonstrators repeatedly chanted “Blood and Honor,” a slogan associated with the Hitler Youth, according to ABC News.

New South Wales state Premier Chris Means described the demonstration, which lasted about 20 minutes, as a “shocking display of hatred, racism and anti-Semitism.”

Sarah Schwartz, executive director of the Australian Jewish Council, told ABC News that neo-Nazi groups pose a threat to the country’s multiculturalism, and there must be a distinction between peaceful protests and “abhorrent acts of agitation.”

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