2009 Sydney Forum : Redux

“Was there any form of filth or profligacy, particularly in cultural life, without at least one Jew involved in it? If you cut even cautiously into such an abscess, you found, like a maggot in a rotting body, often dazzled by the sudden light – a kike!” ~ Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf: audio version kindly made available at ‘Australia First’ member Jim Perren’s blog (‘Whitelaw Towers’).

Another year, another Sydney Forum.

This year’s event was kindly made possible by the Returned Services League branch @ Petersham (7 Regent Street, Petersham, NSW, 2047. Ph: (02) 9560 8355; Fax: (02) 9564 1841).

“The Price of Liberty is Eternal Vigilance” is the RSL’s motto, so how a small group of neo-Nazis managed to book a seat at the table is an interesting question.

Even more interesting is the fact that this is not the first time the Sydney Forum has been held at an RSL club: in 2007, Eastwood RSL leaped at the chance to make some $ from fascists, while in 2004 it was Bexley RSL’s opportunity to Throw The Jew Down The Well of Australian history. Oddly enough, the only institution to say nyet to the neo-Nazis was the Russian Social Club in 2005 (the Estonian community opened its arms to temporary conquest in 2006).

In brief, the Master Race may have 99 problems, but an RSL venue ain’t one of ’em.

Aside from the venue — Petersham RSL on Saturday; ‘The Bunker’ on Sunday — the Sydney Forum also featured speakers. Among them was the convicted criminal (fraud and conspiracy) of Lebanese descent, Dr James Saleam.

Earlier this year, Rupert Murdoch ordered Fairfax journalist Greg Bearup to write a profile of Saleam for the Good Weekend. My rabbi informs me that Word on the street is that Uncle Rupert is growing increasingly worried at the massive yet oddly subterranean influence of the Australia First Party, and is afraid that, if they’re not stopped, they’ll blow the conspiracy wide open. Bearup writes, inter alia:

• of Jim’s phantasy that he is of Greek, rather than Lebanese, descent (“Jimmy, Greek?” says Dr Michael Monsour, who owns a large medical practice in Maryborough. “Greek! Ha! Ha! Jimmy was a Leb, just like us.”);
• of Jim’s early attraction to Nazism (‘…he was often in strife for painting swastikas and giving the Nazi salute… “I remember one particular incident where he rounded up some of the young fry for a Nazi rally,” Taylor says. “It caused a huge stink.” Many of the teachers were returned servicemen. One, a decorated airman, had to be restrained from taking young Jim into a room and thumping him. “We wondered where all this came from,” says Saleam’s old teacher. “Especially as his family were Arabs.”‘);
• of Jim’s status as a little rich kid (‘…young Jim is remembered as being a “spoilt little bastard”, “a little prick” and “a shit of a kid”, who never wanted for anything, “apart from a few good kicks up the arse”. In a very working-class town, he was one of the spoilt rich kids.’);
• the irony that is lost upon the claimed AF membership that it is lead by a ‘non-White’ bloke whose HQ was paid for by Jim’s hard-working, ‘non-White’ father.

The HQ that Jim’s granddad paid for was not only the HQ for National Action (Jim’s previous political vehicle), but also the venue for the second day of the Sydney Forum.

Scheduled to speak at the Forum were the usual suspects, with serial offenders Saleam, Dave Astin and Andrew Fraser being joined this year by debutantes John ‘911 Was An Inside Job!’ Bursill, Terrie-Anne ‘Fuck Off We’re Full’ Verney, “Harry Fritz-Gerald Beahrends”, Steve ‘The Military Controls Our Weather Patterns!’ Grey and the Yanqui Andrew ‘BANANAs’ Yeoman. Overseeing events were Master of Race Ceremonies Welf Herfurth and Nicole ‘I ♥ Horses. And Hitler‘ Hanley.

Apparently, on the first day of the Forum, a number of individuals protested outside of it; they were later joined by NSW police, who instructed them to leave(?), which they duly did. According to one commenter:

I spoke to Danny FitzGerald at the RSL today about the little weekend fascio-nazi-fest. He said that he had no idea what the room had been booked for until it was underway. If he had been informed before hand he would not have permitted them entry as he does not support such ideology nor wants his staff or members subjected to these people. He was informed by the local constabulary that it would be wiser to let it proceed than to have the fascists removed from the premises. The CEO believed that there were legal grounds to remove them but it seems that the blue boys didn’t want to do that. Danny FitzGerald was also concerned for the safety and welfare of his staff and members and he believed that they would not go quietly if forced from the premises. He said the police if they were asked would likely deny that this had been their suggestion. So. Clear as mud. But it did go ahead all week end.

Danny Fitzgerald is Petersham RSL Club’s President.

In 2001, Newtown RSL was facing dwindling membership, negative profits and becoming rapidly outdated and inappropriate for the region’s young population. Later that year it went into liquidation. However, the building owned by NSW RSL Sub-Branch was thrown a lifeline by Petersham RSL Club who bought the building, funked it up and reopened it in July 2003 as “Petersham RSL @ Newtown”.

The RSL in Newtown has never been cooler, describing itself as “Sexy, Atmospheric and Inspiring,” a far cry from the RSL’s traditional modest environment. Petersham RSL Club’s President Danny Fitzgerald told the Glebe and Inner City News that it was fair to say @Newtown would not be like a typical RSL, “…there won’t be old-time dancing and bingo but we think it will fill a significant void in the Newtown area.”

Petersham RSL @Newtown now boasts two levels of entertainment including karaoke nights, hip-hop MCs, rock’n’roll and DJs all week through.

Petersham RSL Club marketing manager Kathy Briese said the club was trying out an SMS advertising campaign to attract younger patrons, sending special offers to members on their mobile phones.

“Rather than sending them out a birthday invite in the mail, as a lot of clubs would have done in the past, we can send an SMS to their phone saying bring this SMS into the club and you’ll get your birthday drink for free,” Ms Briese said.

“There’s so much competition out there these days that I think you have to be changing with the times to keep your membership growing.”

~ ‘Marketing the RSL’, Swerve, November 2005.

NB. I have issued instructions to Greg Bearup to write a full report, which will appear in the pages of the Sydney Morning Herald in due course.

Supposedly, only about 40–50 fascists (‘White racial patriots’) attended the event and, like the speakers, consisted of the usual suspects (members of Australia First, Blood & Honour, “national anarchists”, New Right, Volksfront, and assorted other racist riff-raff).

On Saturday, neo-Nazi Welf Herfurth complained about ‘antifa’, while John Bursill explained What Really Happened on 9/11.

Nutty US racist Andrew Yeoman — see: ‘National Anarchism’: California Racists Claim They’re Anarchists, Casey Sanchez, Intelligence Report, Summer 2009; National Anarchism (Again) (May 30, 2009) — spoke about his pet project, based in San Francisco, named BANANAs, while Fraser and Saleam debated ‘Australian identity’.

According to a local “national anarchist”, Fraser argued that Australian identity must be based not upon loyalty to the Australian state, Constitution, or some other formal legal instrument, but rather a globalised ethnocentric or racial loyalism: ‘Anglo-Saxony for Anglo-Saxons‘. Saleam argued that the truth of Australian identity is to be found in its history (in the words of Australian poets and politicians, and through reference to ‘defining moments’); he quoted John Curtin and Jack Lang.

The “national anarchists” agreed with Fraser.