The same hatred, a new generation

On 31 August 2025, thousands marched across Australia under the banner of the “March for Australia.”

While many participants had genuine concerns about immigration policy and social cohesion, the day was overshadowed by something darker: the organised presence of groups openly venerating Adolf Hitler and Nazi ideology. To call them “neo-Nazis”, as frustrating as it may sound, almost conceals the severity of what we’re witnessing. They are not a pale echo of the past. They are Nazism itself, only a younger generation. Nazism, after all, was never about fringe symbolism. It was a mass movement driven by institutional power and mass obedience. These young, callow activists may livestream their hatred instead of printing pamphlets, but their ideology, goals, and rhetoric are chillingly familiar. To soften their image by adding “neo” risks obscuring the reality: we are not confronting something new. We are confronting the continuation of something old, something we thought the world had defeated.

A Historical Warning

Holocaust historian Raul Hilberg, in his landmark work “The Destruction of the European Jews”, summarised the progression of antisemitism across the centuries in a single, frightening sentence:

“The missionaries of Christianity had said in effect: You have no right to live among us as Jews. The secular rulers who followed had proclaimed: You have no right to live among us. The German Nazis at last decreed: You have no right to live.”

Hilberg’s words are as relevant now as they were when he wrote them. Antisemitism has always evolved, reshaping itself to fit the politics and prejudices of the day, but the underlying hatred remains constant. What changed under Nazism was intent: the final solution was no longer conversion or exclusion but extermination. Today, we are witnessing worrying echoes of the same dangerous escalation.

From Prejudice to Peril: Then and Now

In the 1930s, antisemitism didn’t begin with gas chambers or death camps. It began with whispers, slogans, and accusations. Jews were demonised as disloyal, exploitative, dangerous. The Nazis weaponised propaganda to portray Jews as a threat to German society, to its culture, economy, and security. Many ordinary people who were not themselves Nazis became desensitised. Some agreed; others looked away.

Fast forward to today, and we find ourselves in a disturbingly familiar landscape. Since 7 October 2023, when Hamas carried out its brutal attacks on Israel, there has been an explosive rise in antisemitism worldwide, Australia included.

• In 2024, Australia recorded 1,713 antisemitic incidents, up from 1,200 in 2023, a rise of 43%.
• Jewish schools and synagogues have faced escalating threats, vandalism, and intimidation, including the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue and a Jewish business in Sydney.
• Online hate campaigns, including coordinated doxxing of Jewish professionals and creatives, are widespread.
• Extremist rallies, from Sydney to Melbourne, increasingly feature slogans once thought consigned to history.

Just as in the 1930s, conspiracy theories abound. Then, Jews were accused of controlling banks, media, and governments. Today, they are accused of controlling global policy, silencing dissent, or orchestrating wars. Social media has become the new printing press for hate, amplifying lies to millions in seconds.

Hamas, Israel, and the Misuse of “Genocide”

Among the most disturbing trends since October 7 has been the corruption of language. “Genocide”, a term that emerged to describe the Holocaust itself, has been turned upside down and, in a cruel twist of fate, weaponised against Israel.

To be clear: Israel is not committing genocide. It is at war with Hamas, a group whose charter explicitly calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and the killing of Jews globally. Hamas’s intent mirrors that of the Nazis: they say what they plan to do, and they mean it.

Holocaust survivors understand the meaning of “genocide” better than anyone. They lived through it. They know what it is and what it is not. To equate Israel’s defence against a terrorist organisation with the systematic industrialised murder of six million Jews is not just historically illiterate. It is a profound insult to the memory of the victims and survivors alike.

A New Front, The Same Ideology

The rise of organised groups in Australia, from the National Socialist Network to their online affiliates, demonstrates how old hatred evolves with modern tools. The uniforms may be gone, but the slogans remain. The salutes remain. The ideology remains.

Some argue these are ‘fringe’ elements, but history warns us how quickly fringe ideas can infect the mainstream when they’re left unchecked. The 1930s showed us how dangerous it is when society underestimates extremists until it is too late.

Today, antisemitism comes from multiple directions. On the far-right, we see the open celebration of Nazism. On parts of the far-left, a different ideological framework has taken hold, one rooted in identity politics and selective interpretations of Critical Theory. In this narrative, Israel and, by extension, the Jewish people are cast as oppressors, while Palestinians are framed as perpetual victims. This oversimplified and distorted view ignores historical complexity and reality, fuelling hostility towards Jews and emboldening those who deny Israel’s right to exist.

Lessons from History

We are at an inflection point. Consider Germany in the early 1930s:

• Economic hardship created resentment.
• Political instability bred scapegoating.
• Leaders failed to confront hatred head-on.
• Extremists exploited public fear to gain legitimacy.

Now consider Australia and the wider world today:

• Economic anxiety and culture wars dominate headlines.
• Social media supercharges misinformation and division.
• Political leaders are too often hesitant, inconsistent, or silent in calling out antisemitism.
• Far-right groups exploit protests, mainstream fears, and identity politics to spread extremist ideology.

History teaches us where this path leads if we fail to act decisively.

Where We Go from Here

We cannot afford complacency. We must:

1. Name antisemitism clearly, whether it comes from the far-right, the far-left, or radical Islamist movements.
2. Reject false equivalences, especially the misuse of words like “genocide” that dilute the horror of the Holocaust.
3. Hold leaders accountable; silence emboldens extremists, as it did in 1930s Europe.
4. Educate relentlessly, not only about the Holocaust but also about antisemitism’s evolving forms.
5. Stand together, because when hatred against one group is normalised, hatred against others inevitably follows.

Conclusion: Hilberg’s Warning Today

Hilberg’s words remain our warning: antisemitism is not static; it evolves. What begins as exclusion can escalate to persecution, and persecution can become annihilation.

The difference between now and then is that we know where this road leads. We have the testimony, the memory, and the history. Holocaust survivors among us have seen what happens when hatred is allowed to grow unchecked.

For their sake and for our children and grandchildren, we cannot allow history to repeat itself. Nazism is not behind us; it is before us, wearing new clothes, carrying new slogans, but speaking the same language of hate.

We owe it to those who perished, those who survived, and those yet to come to ensure that this time, the world hears the warning and acts on it.

Dr George Foster is the president of the Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors & Descendants