You’re up next New Zealand – Do us proud
Been arguing on Twitter about the events at Keen-Minshull’s (Posie Parker) “Let Women Speak” tour in Melbourne. From my stance as an anti-fascist/racist activist who’s been arrested and carted away from protests by police countless times
Just for the record, I’m pro-transgender rights (much ado about FA from the alt-Right) but believe everyone – except Nazis – has a right to free speech and protest: usual hate speech and violence exceptions.
Obviously, that’s a problematical stance – what isn’t?
Here are some extracts from a New Zealand article about the events at Keen-Minshull’s “Let Women Speak” tour in Melbourne on Saturday. I chose a New Zealand source for a little distance and objectivity. It’s also where Keen-Minshull is going next.
– Insert –
New Zealand did very well indeed – 25 March 2023
Gender activist Posie Parker spotted at Auckland Airport after rally shut down by protest.
Parker – real name Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull – was doused in tomato juice and forced to leave the stage before being escorted to a police car through a hostile crowd.
A statement from Speak Up For Women said the Let Women Speak gathering in Wellington has been cancelled.
“Keen-Minshull’s security team have advised her that they cannot keep her safe from mob violence and the police have declined to do so,” a spokesperson said. – Gender activist Posie Parker spotted at Auckland Airport after rally shut down by protest – News Hub (NZ)
– End of insert –
The black-clad group repeatedly performed the Nazi salute and held signs calling transgender people offensive names, leading to violent clashes with hundreds of counter-protesters. Liberal MP Moira Deeming, who was photographed at the rally with organiser and British anti-trans activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, said she was disappointed Victoria Police let the masked men into the buffer zone. “Police managed to stop hordes of TRAs [trans rights activists], but somehow could only walk masked men past us [sic]… they did a horrible Nazi salute,” she tweeted. The federal Greens said they wrote to Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to call for Keen-Minshull’s visa to be revoked ahead of her “Let Women Speak” tour of Australia, citing her followers’ alleged involvement in violent rallies. In a joint statement with rainbow community, multicultural, women’s and other groups, Equality Australia chief executive Anna Brown suggested neo-Nazi and anti-trans ideologies had much in common. “They target vulnerable minorities to incite hatred and fear,” she said. – Neo-Nazi crackdown on the cards in Victoria after Melbourne clash – 1 News (New Zealand)
Nazi provocation
“DESTROY PAEDO FREAKS” proclaims the Nazi banner. The inference is obvious. Transgender people molest children. It’s a common slur directed at them by far-Right propagandists with no basis in truth.
It’s an accusation that should be directed at the types who vilify transgender people for existing.
Police don’t treat Nazis the same way as progressive protesters
This is hardly a controversial view. The violence and misuse of the Law we see directed at progressive activists by police are rarely (if ever) directed at far-Right groups.
Pleased to see some media address this…
Police remove a protester during a transgender rights rally, involving opposing neo-Nazi protesters, outside Parliament House in Melbourne.
Numerous Aussies have criticised the police for their handling of the incident.
“Never thought I’d see the day in Australia that police shove and manhandle people protesting in order to protect marchers giving the NAZI salute,” one person wrote. “This is terrible,” someone else said, while another added: “This is wrong on so many levels”. – Disturbing scenes as neo-Nazis and protestors clash in Melbourne – Shocking footage shows transgender rights protestors being held back by police officers. – Brianne Tolj – Yahoo! News/AAP
The kinship between police and Nazis was very evident in the ’80s in Western Australia. This mutual respect was seen in other states too, where issues such as Asian immigration, homosexuality and the arrival of ‘Sex Shops’¹ were opposed by members of both groups.
“Van Tongeren’s (WA’s Nazi supremo) own account of the situation notes that “in the summer of 1987 the Police pretty well left us alone. In some cases, they actually encouraged our plastering up teams in action, even the Skinhead teams – and Skinheads and Police rarely get on well together. Many Police vehicle patrols must have seen our teams in action, but let us carry on”. – Far-right terror: Perth’s 1980s ‘fascist revolution’ by Vashti Fox – Red Flag
The Victoria police went to great lengths to prove the validity of the view, that they prefer Nazis and Terfs to pro-transgender activists at the “Let Women Speak” tour in Melbourne.
Not even a bunch of Nazis Seig Heiling on the steps of Victoria’s Parliament was seen as cause for arrest by the Victoria police.
It wasn’t an offensive act? – (Elsewhere I compared it to pissing on an ANZAC’s grave) – It wasn’t an inciteful act? It didn’t disturb the peace? I’m sure there is a swag of other laws that could have been used by police if they had a mind to. Instead Victorian Police protected the Nazis and assaulted pro-transgender activists.
A Victoria Police spokesperson stated three people were arrested. All pro-transgender activists.
One could almost believe the event was orchestrated with the collusion of Senior Victoria police.
The cocky surety of the Nazis? Their seeming unconcern at the large police presence? Their confidence in an uninterrupted march to the steps of Melbourne’s parliament? It’s as though they had foreknowledge of the Victoria police’s lack of intent in disrupting their fascist flow.
Just a friendly head’s up to Dan (Victorian Premier) and his Labor comrades: If your police force allows Nazis to Sieg Heil on the steps of your parliament, you’ve probably lost control of them.³
Police, military and Nazis
There is a natural affinity between our armed forces, police, Right-wing politicians and Nazis. I’ve already pointed out the “kinship” shared over various issues but other reasons for this ideological dovetailing are more difficult to combat.
Soldiers of hate: Army investigates neo-Nazis in its ranks – By Nick McKenzie – WAtoday
The guns, uniforms and regimentation. The worship of flags and militarist ideals. The shared role in defending a Capitalist society built on racist genocide.
White supremacy and otherism are easily planted in such fertile ground.
“The army tended to attract right-wingers, he added: “You don’t find a lot of Greens or leftists in the military, not to mention anarchists.” He didn’t seem to think much could be done to change that.” – (Judge presiding over German neo-Nazi case.)
Sociologically, it’s apparent. To the layperson, it’s apparent. It’s why people were discomforted by Border Patrol purchasing weaponry and being draped in Hugo Boss-style black uniforms. The militarisation of police² just adds another layer of “discomfiture” to people concerned about creeping fascism in our police forces.
Despite Marles carrying on as though a Nazi influence in our police and military is an issue that’s just emerged, it’s clear this is a long-standing problem. We have seen similar happening overseas.
Two members of the network had been compiling hit lists of politicians. They also bought body bags and quicklime The non-military material was equally disturbing: several back issues of Der Freiwillige, a magazine published after the second world war for former members of the SS; photo- and songbooks issued to the SS; and a collection of vintage postcards with slogans such as “We thank our Führer”.” – How right-wing extremists infiltrated Germany’s armed forces – Peter Kuras – The Economist
Interestingly, we learnt that in parallel to the Australian experience with the SAS, “Commandos in this unit are five times more likely to have right-wing extremist convictions than the average soldier, according to Deutschlandfunk, a German public radio service.”
One wonders what other parallels might lurk beneath the surface of Australia’s military and policing cultures.
Notes
¹ Read a few books about the relationship between police and Nazis back in the ’80s.
² Big respect for Jude McCulloch longtime admirer of her work.
³ The reaction from politicians – now talking about banning Nazi salutes – demonstrates how badly the Victoria Police let them down. Not to mention the public and the pro-transgender activists being provoked and insulted by this fascist display.
References
Soldiers of hate: Army investigates neo-Nazis in its ranks
Disturbing scenes as neo-Nazis and protestors clash in Melbourne
Border Force fiasco calls into question culture and leadership of ‘paramilitary’ group
‘They decided to kill all of them’ – The ABC brings to light shocking new accounts of the single deadliest alleged war crime committed by Australia’s special forces in Afghanistan.
The Afghan Files – Defence leak exposes deadly secrets of Australia’s special forces
How right-wing extremists infiltrated Germany’s armed forces
Neo-Nazi crackdown on the cards in Victoria after Melbourne clash
Immigration department says it spent $200,000 on border force guns
The Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes (the Inquiry)
