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The rally had not been opposed by the Sydney City local area command, which had sought legal advice on the proposed “Abolish the Jewish lobby” banner, and Minns has suggested the government may seek to pass new laws. According to the legal advice given to police, the wording used on the banner did not constitute an offence, and there were no legal grounds upon which to oppose the demonstration.
Eltis’ unabashed racism was on display in the Sydney March for Australia rally in August, which this masthead revealed was infiltrated and organised by NSN members.
Sydney members took to the stage for an “open mic” section of the protest held at Victoria Park in Camperdown, where they led chants of “heil Australia” and “blood and honour”, the same Hitler Youth slogan used on Saturday.
“This land was built by white Australians,” Eltis told the crowd.
“You don’t have to join our organisation, but we must come back more organised, more disciplined. We have the solutions. We want to send them back. No debate. No discussion. We want to send them back to their land. This is our land. And most importantly, our organisation has the strength to do this.”
After his speech, Eltis told a reporter, “All the men in our organisation are proud to be racist.” Asked if he and other NSN and White Australia members were neo-Nazis, Eltis said, “Yes, we are national socialists.”
“Proud to be racist”: Jack Eltis being interviewed by a reporter after the March for Australia rally.Credit: Nine News
After March for Australia, Minns said police would examine the speeches for possible violations of new laws against the public incitement of racial hatred, which came into effect mid-August.
In a statement, NSW Police said Eltis was known to authorities, and was spoken to by officers at Saturday’s rally.
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Police are now reviewing Saturday’s rally for possible violations of the same laws. Police said no offences were identified by the officers in attendance on Saturday.
In September, Eltis used a public social media account to blame social problems on “Jewish power and Jewish brainwashing of our people”. In more recent messages, he attributed the NSN’s successes to “a culture of fanaticism” and stressed an absolute commitment to deporting “every last non-white” from Australia.
Eltis’ Form 1 submission ahead of the rally outside parliament said both he and another NSN leader, Joel Davis, would be speaking.
Davis had managed to enter Parliament House earlier this year for an event organised by Western Heritage Australia, asking questions about the benefits of “racism” from a lectern within the historic Jubilee Room library. A spokesperson for the organisers said they did not screen attendees.
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The NSN is monitored by federal agencies such as the Australian Federal Police and ASIO.
“At its core, the National Socialist Network is anti-immigrant, anti-Indigenous, anti-gay, anti-Jew, anti-Islam and anti-anything that does not fit its white Anglo-centric world view,” Burgess said last week.
“Even if the organisation does not engage in terrorism, I remain deeply concerned by its hateful, divisive rhetoric and increasingly violent propaganda, and the growing likelihood these things will prompt spontaneous violence, particularly in response to perceived provocation.”
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