There are calls for neo-Nazis to be forced to reveal their faces, after police used pepper spray to disperse a group of masked men at a refugee rally in Melbourne. Political leaders have condemned the racist display, labelling it cowardly and disgraceful.
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00:00A show of force from police, as pepper spray is used to move a group of neo-Nazis through
00:10Melbourne's streets and away from their target, a rally in support of refugees.
00:17Police were already at the event, marking the end of a 100-day protest outside the immigration
00:22office, calling for permanent residency for Tamil refugees.
00:27Attendees say it was a terrifying experience.
00:31Already we fled from the genocide, you know, we know how the trauma is when you, that visual
00:37has come back to us again, so it's making me really stressed and I was crying.
00:43There is a history now, over the last 100 days, this encampment faced racist attacks
00:49as well as neo-Nazis turning up.
00:52Political leaders were quick to denounce the violent display.
00:55It's disgraceful and it should be absolutely condemned.
00:58Any act of intimidation or violence is not to be tolerated in our community.
01:03These are cowards, they're cowards, they hide behind masks and symbols that are deeply unacceptable
01:09to the rest of the community and they should be condemned.
01:12Nazi symbols and gestures performed in public were banned in Victoria last year, but there
01:17are calls for further legislation which would force neo-Nazis to show their face.
01:23Clearly it's important that we not only seek to cast a light on them, but to unmask them.
01:28We need to know who these individuals are.
01:30Yesterday's incident follows a neo-Nazi rally in Corowa earlier this month and there are
01:35warnings that such incidents are becoming more frequent and shouldn't be taken lightly.
01:40The government must take this threat seriously, we can't just rely on the police to keep us safe.
01:45These are inherently violent young men with an inherently violent hate-filled ideology
01:52and whilst they're small, we've got to take the fact that they exist seriously.
01:56Police made no arrests at yesterday's rally, but say they are reviewing vision.