Supporters of neo-Nazi party to be ‘exposed as racists’

Neo-Nazis are attempting to legitimise their ideology by forming a political party in the aftermath of a high-profile protest.

Australians considering becoming members of a neo-Nazi party will be “exposed as racists” as the organisation attempts to creep into mainstream politics.

The National Socialist Network is ramping up efforts to form a political party for the next NSW election after 60 demonstrators linked to the right-wing extremist group assembled outside state parliament on Saturday with a banner that read “Abolish the Jewish Lobby”.

To register a party in NSW, it must have a minimum of 750 members.

Premier Chris Minns issued a warning to those considering aligning with the extremists.

“Anyone who’s thinking about signing the paperwork to register this political party has to think long and hard about whether they want their name and their reputation publicly associated with Nazis,” he told reporters.

“This information may well become public and you’ll be exposed as a racist”.

The weekend’s demonstration has fuelled calls to add more barriers to the formation of political parties.

Mr Minns said that could have “serious implications” for democratic rights, but the NSW Electoral Commissioner could lean on a public interest test.

“It’s an independent decision, but I assume that a nakedly racist organisation would be at a very strong risk of breaching that public interest test,” he said.

The state government is set to expand a ban on Nazi symbols to include slogans and chants.

It is also expected to re-empower police to move on protesters outside places of worship, which was deemed unconstitutional by the NSW Supreme Court in October.

The government should have been able to deal with the neo-Nazis through existing laws, NSW Council for Civil Liberties President Timothy Roberts argued.

“You do not fight fascists with laws that erode our civil liberties,” he said.

The protest was known about ahead of Saturday by members of the police and others within the government, but wasn’t shared with MPs, the premier said on Wednesday.

The National Socialist Network has been involved in several high-profile incidents in 2025 including attacking an Indigenous camp after anti-immigration rallies in August and unfurling a neo-Nazi banner at a Remembrance Day event on Tuesday.

ASIO chief Mike Burgess said last week the group was trying to “mainstream” its movement by focusing on issues with broader appeal, such as immigration.

By: Kat Wong/AAP