The extreme right lives

Since the report in the last edition of the City Hub of an ‘infiltration’ by the far-right Public Information Forum into the Humanist Society in Chippendale, evidence has come to light of a resurgence of activity from the alphabet soup of organisations that make up the Sydney far right.

Racist and anonymous leaflets have been distributed in Newtown, Chippendale and Waterloo calling for immigrants to be ‘banned.’ And in February anti-immigrant leaflets were distributed at Sydney University where about 22 per cent of students are international students.

Elly Howse, President of the Students’ Representatives Council, told the Hub:  “We did have some issues with two groups who placed a whole lot of leaflets around campus during O-Week.  They must have done it during the evening because we didn’t see anyone. One group is Nationalist Alternative and the other is the Australia First Party.’’

Nationalist Alternative was set up in Sydney only last year in June but the Australia First Party has a history of anti-immigration and ‘white pride’ values, with its web page linking to far-right parties around the world.  One such link is to a long-standing Sydney-based website that features articles ranging from the ‘dynamics of the Jewish elite’ to ‘how mass immigration has been destroying ‘Australian culture’.

This particular website has in the past put up photographs of Sydney activists with assertions about the individual’s supposed Jewish origins, labelling one “Minister for Hebrew Affairs” and another “Israeli Defence Force Recruitment Officer”. It’s irrelevant that neither person has a Jewish or Israeli background.

Howse said any racism at Sydney University, which can range from crude calls for foreign students to be expelled to subtle comments about English proficiency, was symptomatic of the underlying racism in Australian society.

“These kinds of comments seem to be directed at students and teachers from Asia but I’ve never heard anyone complain about a German or French person’s English,” she said. “I’m not excusing it but it was only 40 years ago that the White Australia Policy was finally dismantled, so it doesn’t surprise me, unfortunately, that racism is still quite potent in our society.”

Rozelle resident Nick Folkes, a leader of the Australian Protectionist Party (APP), will be standing for the federal seat of Sydney in the next election.  Folkes, who has been distributing leaflets in the inner west calling for an end to ‘African’ crime and an end to immigration, denies being racist and says he is a proud ‘nationalist’.

But critics say the group’s rhetoric inflames racism but remains just this side of the racial vilification laws. Folkes supports a range of right-wing positions, including the withdrawal of any funding for ‘homosexual groups’.

Standing against Folkes will be Pip Hinman of the Socialist Alliance: her opposition to Folkes was the main plank in her campaign launch in front of the “I have a dream” mural in King Street, Newtown, on March 25.

Hinman says the increase in far-right activity is taking place against a background of ‘soft’ racism led by the major parties in response to asylum seekers.

“The bipartisan racism of policies such as the Northern Territory intervention into Aboriginal communities and the criminalising of asylum seekers fleeing wars that Australia supports, has encouraged racist groups like the APP,” Hinman said.

Enmore resident Rachel Evans, an activist with Community Action Against Homophobia, is also standing at the next election. “The inner-west is a diverse community that strongly values tolerance,” said Evans, “and the Australian Protectionist Party’s message of hate and racism should be rejected by our community.”

Sydney Labor MP Tanya Plibersek has written to the Human Rights Commission about the leaflets put out by the Australian Protectionist Party.

The race card is likely to be played in the upcoming elections judging by the hysteria being generated over refugee boat arrivals.

By Dale Mills