A South African man whose visa was cancelled after attending a neo-Nazi rally in Sydney has been detained by immigration agents in a pre-dawn operation and taken to Villawood detention centre. Matthew Gruter, a South African national, was arrested around 4am on Tuesday, according to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
Burke announced he had cancelled Gruter's visa on Monday, more than a week after the neo-Nazi group's anti-Jewish lobby protest outside the New South Wales state parliament in Sydney, which included chants of the Hitler Youth phrase “blood and honour”. The group, which described itself as “White Australia, formerly the National Socialist Network”, claimed in social media posts that Gruter's home was raided and asked for donations on a fundraiser page to support him and his family.
Burke defended his decision, stating: “What could be a clearer example of someone showing they don’t care about cohesion in Australia, than turning up to a Nazi rally?” He added that Gruter has “very limited” options to appeal because the visa was cancelled by a ministerial decision, and expects he “will be gone very soon”. However, it is understood Gruter could appeal the decision through the court system.
White Australia has raised $20,000 for Gruter and quoted him as planning to fight his deportation “via every possible angle”. The shadow home affairs minister, Jonno Duniam, backed Burke's decision, saying: “There is no room in Australia for clowns like that who want to come here and preach hate – go back to where you came from, frankly.” Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong also condemned the views, stating: “Freedom of speech does not extend to being divisive and hateful about people in our community.”
