Police are seeking to identify a group of neo-Nazis who chanted and unveiled an offensive sign on the steps of Victoria’s Parliament House.
Twenty men fully covered in black clothing held up their anti-Semitic sign outside the Spring Street building about 6.55pm yesterday.
Footage of the group posted online showed the men chanting: “Freedom for the white man” and “White man, white man, white man”.
They were then filmed being spoken to by police, taking down their sign and walking off.
Victoria Police Acting Superintendent Kelly Walker said it appeared the men were having “some type of photoshoot”.
“They showed up with their own photographer,” she said at a press conference today.
Walker said members of the public who witnessed this were outraged and began shouting at them to take the sign down.
“The sign was intended to cause unrest to the community,” she said.
Walker said protective services officers called for back-up and upon police arrival about five minutes later, the men ran and scattered into the nearby Fitzroy Gardens.
Despite patrols and searches of the area, she said the men were unable to be found.
Walker said one man has been identified and officers are working to apprehend him.
So far, no arrests have been made and investigators are collecting evidence to identify the rest of the men involved.
“Looking to ID the men is our priority, so we’ll be looking through the extensive CBD network of footage that exists and we’ll seek advice under the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act,” Walker said.
“The behaviour was disgusting and the members of the public were outraged.”
Anyone with information, and the members of the public who witnessed the incident, are urged to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
