Premier Jacinta Allan and Treasurer Jaclyn Symes were forced to abandon a press conference in West Melbourne on the edge of the city after being confronted by neo-Nazis.
Thomas Sewell, the leader of the National Socialist Network, began yelling at the premier and screamed at the Victoria Police officers who attempted to separate him from the politicians and media pack in West Melbourne on Tuesday.
Allan and Symes quickly left, along with backbench MP Sheena Watt, and the press conference at Eades Park was abandoned.
Sewell incorrectly said that Australians did not have the right to protest and made the false claim that 50,000 protesters attended the anti-immigration March for Australia that descended into violence in Melbourne on Sunday. This masthead estimates about 6000 people took part in the anti-immigration rally in Melbourne.
In a statement released late on Tuesday morning, Allan said she was OK and wore the neo-Nazis’ hatred of her “as a badge of honour”.
“I am unharmed and undeterred following this morning’s events at a press conference,” the premier said. “But this isn’t about me. It’s about all the other people in the community who Nazis target – like multicultural people, LGBTIQA+ people, First Peoples, and Jews.”
She said “these goons” will fail in their attempt to whip up fear and divide Victoria, adding: “As premier, I’ll always be out and about in public fighting for you, like I am all day today. I am not afraid.”
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the authorities were aware of an incident in which a man was verbally abusive towards the premier.
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