Police pepper-sprayed a group of masked neo-Nazis after interrupting a protest in Melbourne on Tuesday night.
The neo-Nazis interrupted a protest by the Refugee Action Collective, who were calling for asylum seekers to receive permanent visas.
David Glanz, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Collective, said a group of just over 20 interrupted the rally.
After an initial interruption, police pepper-sprayed the Nazis, who retreated from the protest.
The Nazis then reformed and attempted to interrupt the rally again, but rally members “stared them down and shouted them down,” said Glanz.
Glanz said police formed a barricade between the Nazis and the protesters following the second interruption, and no arrests were made.
Glanz described it as a “brief” interruption of a “very good refugee rally.”
“They completely failed to intimidate what was a very, very powerful pro refugee rally,” said Glanz.
By Zack Goutzoulas, a Master of Journalism student at the University of Melbourne.
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