A South African man who was seen attending a neo-Nazi rally outside an Australian state parliament has had his visa revoked. Matthew Gruter, who has been in Australia since 2022, took part in an anti-Jewish protest outside the New South Wales parliament organised by the National Socialist Network earlier this month. He was seen among around 60 men clad in black, who held up a banner that said "Abolish the Jewish lobby", Australian media report. Australia has seen a recent rise in right-wing extremism. Its government made the Nazi salute punishable by a mandatory prison term earlier this year. Australia's Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, confirmed the cancellation of Gruter's visa, saying: "If you are on a visa, you are a guest. "If you're a citizen, you're a full member of the Australian family. Like with any household, if a guest turns up to show hatred and wreck the household, they can be told it's time to go home." Gruter moved to Australia with his wife and works as a civil engineer, according to ABC News. The National Socialist Network, which organised the rally on 8 November, is a well-known neo-Nazi group in Australia. Gruter is a senior member of the group in New South Wales, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Demonstrators repeatedly chanted "blood and honour", a slogan associated with the Hitler Youth, according to ABC News. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns described the rally, which lasted about 20 minutes, as a "shocking display of hatred and racism and antisemitism". Sarah Schwartz, executive officer of the Jewish Council of Australia, told ABC News neo-Nazi groups were a threat to multiculturalism in the country and there needed to be a distinction between peaceful protests and "hateful stunts". "They're acts of hate speech, and they should be considered as such," she added. — BBC
