A leading academic says the Nazi symbols and references commonly used in Melbourne's ongoing anti-vax rallies are being used to 'demonise and delegitimise' Dan Andrews.
The Victorian capital has been the site of protests for months, and have repeatedly included banners and placards using the Nazi swastika, references to Adolf Hitler and drawing parallels between those trying to withstand vaccine mandates with the suffering of Jews and others during the Holocaust.
Dr Dvir Ambramovich, the chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, fears Australia risks an 'impending race war' and said neo-Nazis are using the protests to spread their ideology and had the Victorian premier squarely in their crosshairs.
'They're portratying Andrews to villify, demonise and delegitimise him. They claim he's a dictator and the modern version of Hitler,' Dr Ambramovich told Daily Mail Australia.
A leading academic says the Nazi symbols and insignia present in Melbourne's ongoing anti-vax rallies are being used to 'demonise and delegitimise' Dan Andrews
The Victorian capital has been plagued by protests for months, which recently have featured banners and placards promoting Swastikas and referencing Adolf Hitler
Experts believe white supremacists have hijacked the anti-vaccine protests around Australia to normalise and spread their hate
The use of Nazi images and references at Melbourne rallies was not an endorsement of that ideology or evidence that the protesters held those views, but instead an accusation that their opponents do.
However Dr Abramovich was worried that the very fascist tendencies the protesters impute to their opponents are actually held by some who attended the rallies.
'They paint Andrews as a monster. We have clear evidence these neo-Nazis are infiltrating these rallies and trying to assert themselves in mainstream agendas,' he said.
The Anti-Defamation Commission chairman said the references are being deployed at the rallies because they're 'sensational headline generators' that capture people's attention.
'They're an effective way to beat down anyone that disagrees with you,' Dr Abramovich told Daily Mail Australia.
Mr Andrews said in January 'antisemitism was on the rise' in Australia and that 'there is no place for that bigotry and hate' in Victoria.
'I would make the point as well, that many would argue, and the international evidence is very clear, and indeed the local evidence, that antisemitism is on the rise,' he said.
'And it's an evil thing, it's a wicked thing. I'll just take this opportunity to send a message to the Jewish community across Victoria. You have and you continue to make a profound contribution to our state.'
An anti-vaxxer mocks police pretending to be Adolf Hitler as he walks in front of a line of officers during the Worldwide Rally for Freedom in Melbourne on Saturday
'They paint Andrews as a monster. We have clear evidence these neo-Nazis are infiltrating these rallies and trying to asser themselves in mainstream agendas,' Dr Abramovich said
Dr Dvir Ambramovich, the chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, says Australia is facing an 'impending race war'
Dr Abramovich said Australia has never been more 'splintered', with anti-Jewish sentiment rising through the pandemic as people looked for scapegoats.
