antifa notes (march 2, 2015) : Reclaim Australia (etc.)

To celebrate my return to Facebook I thought I may as well post some further notes on the Reclaim Australia rally along with a handful of other bits + pieces.

Reclaim Australia

1)

Thus far, there are counter-rallies and actions being organised to oppose ‘Reclaim Australia’ (RA) in Adelaide, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth and Sydney. Some heart may be taken from the action in Newcastle, England on the weekend, which witnessed a large number of Novocastrians unite to express condemnation of the first PEGIDA rally to be held on English soil. (See : Britain’s first PEGIDA anti-Islamisation demonstration dwarfed by 2,000 counter-protesters in Newcastle, ABC, March 1, 2015.) Among those joining PEGIDA were the National Front, Golden Dawn and assorted other radical right-wing elements. Similar groups will be joining the RA rallies in Australia.

2)

In Perth, the RA rally is scheduled to take place at Solidarity Park, a traditional rallying point for unions. Unions WA have been contacted to ascertain their views on the subject of anti-Muslim prejudice, racism and xenophobia. More news on this as it comes to hand.

3)

As noted previously, RA propagandist Shermon Burgess has some interesting friends, among them a neo-Nazi groupuscule called ‘Nationalist Republican Guard’ (NRG — several members in photo above). Burgess gives NRG props for their assistance in the production of a number of YouTube vids promoting the RA; for their part, NRG acknowledges the inspiration and political leadership of one Adolf Hitler. Hurr hurr.

Australia First Party

4)

As well as participating in RA, AFP held an anti-Muslim meeting in Penrith on February 28. Originally booked at a CWA building, the booking was cancelled after the nature of the event became clear to the Association: Australia First Party 0 /// Country Women’s Association NSW 1. The party attracts a range of oddball supporters, ranging from frothing-at-the-mouth anti-Semites to old skool labourists. The Stormfront poster and AFP supporter above extols the virtues of US neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer’s online campaign of harassment ‘Operation: Filthy Jew Bitch’ (directed at UK MP Luciana Berger) and ‘Operation: Filthy Chink Rat’ (directed at Australian Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane). The site’s campaign against Australian Muslim Mariam Veiszadeh brought it a good deal moar attention (as intended) but also very many expressions of support for Veiszadeh via the Twitter hashtag #IStandWithMariam (see : I will not be silenced: Australian Muslim fights Twitter ‘troll army’, Hilary Whiteman, CNN, February 28, 2015).

5)

AFP is fielding a handful of candidates in the NSW state election (March 28): Alex Norwick in Wyong, Tania Rollinson in Hawkesbury and Victor Waterson (below, far right) in Penrith. Perhaps the main point of interest will be in Penrith, where the party is attempting to ride the recent wave of local anti-Muslim agitation.

Squadron 88

6)

Sydney-based neo-Nazis Squadron 88 (S88) have been stuffing letterboxes with poorly-composed racist tracts again, this time under the guise of side-project ‘Cultural Awareness’. Ho hum. The group has had a tempestuous relationship with their comrades in the AFP as this dummy spit by one member on Stormfront would suggest, accusing AFP of accusing the leader of S88 of being a police informant. Which way veteran neo-Nazi Ross ‘The Skull’ May (the group’s mascot) will jump is an interesting question.

Right Wing Resistance New Zealand

7)

RWRNZ is Kyle ‘The Mormon’ Chapman’s latest vanity project. Since its establishment in 2009 the neo-Nazi group has been doing all the things you’d expect of such a group but its latest venture is bizarre, even for Chapman. Apparently, RWRNZ is intending to send some of its members to South Africa to receive (para-)military training(!):

For the serious of heart […] [w[]e are now recruiting those willing to train in South Africa. This is a country hostile toward whites. But it is also w[h]ere our movement has the most trained war veterans and the potential to train you to military standards. It is not very safe, so internet warriors need not apply. For those still in the dream that everything is ok, just look on and ignore this post. For those who are serious about this movement, and see that we are destined to fight one day. Then we offer you the chance to learn for [sic] great soldiers. You would have to pay your own way, [w]e can set up links and secured [sic] communications for those who are willing. Don[‘]t waste my time though, and don’t waste these guy[‘]s time. The fact we are doing this on FB is risky, but it is also a sign that in times of need, higher risk is taken.

Fortunately for them, RWRNZ is a neo-Nazi, Whites-only project, so unlikely to be accorded ‘terrorist’ status.