Sydney police draw sharp rebuke for approving neo-Nazi rally
As 60 demonstrators call for abolishing ‘Jewish lobby,’ community and political leaders denounce both hateful protest and authorities’ failure to prevent it
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An antisemitic neo-Nazi rally outside Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) parliament on Saturday morning drew about 60 participants and sparked widespread condemnation, not only of the protesters’ hateful messages but also of the authorities’ decision to allow the demonstration to take place.
The demonstration, which lasted some 20 minutes and called for the abolition of the “Jewish lobby,” was authorized by police, who said they had not objected to the assembly under the Summary Offenses Act, which allows public gatherings to proceed if authorities are notified at least seven days in advance and a court has not prohibited the event.
Footage from the rally showed participants dressed in all black standing in two rows, in front of a banner reading “Abolish the Jewish Lobby.”
Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the force received a notification from the extremist group “White Australia,” which organized the demonstration, on October 28, but he acknowledged an internal communication error had left him unaware of the protest until after it occurred. He added he would review the decision to allow the rally.
At a press briefing, NSW Premier Chris Minns described the event as “distressing” and a “shocking display of hatred and racism and antisemitism.”
“I want them [the demonstrators] to be met with a clear and unambiguous message from the government, from political leaders, from civil life, from average New South Wales residents, that we’ve got no interest in neo-Nazis in Sydney,” he said.
Neo-Nazis rally against Jews outside New South Wales Parliament
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"Hatred is rapidly… pic.twitter.com/Oyj2fjhckm
— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) November 8, 2025
He signaled that the government may move to grant police additional powers to prevent similar incidents.
The rally came against a backdrop of large-scale pro-Palestinian demonstrations across Australia this year.
In October, organizers reported 30,000 people in central Sydney protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza, while in August, tens of thousands joined rallies nationwide, amid strained diplomatic relations between Canberra and Jerusalem following Australia’s conditional recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Jewish community leaders condemned Saturday’s neo-Nazi gathering.
David Ossip of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies said such hate should not be normalized.
“It’s tempting to ignore the vile demonstration which was held today and avoid giving these dangerous neo-Nazis the attention they crave,” he said.
“The chilling images and despicable words of hate which were uttered today should never find a home or be accepted in our society, especially outside the heart of our democracy,” Ossip added.
Alex Ryvchin of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry stressed the need for stronger legal tools to counter extremism.
“To defeat this, our law enforcement and security agencies need the right legislative tools to monitor and disrupt violent extremists and to prevent them from menacing or physically harming peaceful Australians,” he said.
NSW opposition leader Mark Speakman called for zero tolerance, declaring, “The time for warnings is over.”
“Chris Minns told us that the disgraceful antisemitic scenes we saw on the steps of the Opera House would never be tolerated again,” he said in reference to an October 2023 pro-Palestinian protest that included chants such as “gas the Jews” and “f— the Jews.”
“The premier, the police minister and the police commissioner must explain how, on their watch, something as vile and coded as calling for ‘abolishing’ a ‘Jewish lobby’ has been allowed to occur outside the cradle of democracy in NSW,” Speakman added.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, police said they were reviewing footage of Saturday’s rally, including social media posts and security camera recordings, to determine whether any participants violated Section 93ZAA of the Crimes Act, which makes it illegal to publicly incite hatred against someone based on their race, ethnicity, or religion.
The Times of Israel Community.