‘Time to Go Home’: Immigration Minister Tony Burke Cancels Visa of Neo-Nazi Protester

Immigration Minister Tony Burke has taken decisive action, confirming tonight that the visa of neo-Nazi protester Matthew Gruter has been cancelled, with the foreign national now ordered to leave Australia and be deported back to his native South Africa.

Gruter was one of approximately 60 individuals dressed in black from the National Socialist Network who staged a highly visible and controversial protest outside the NSW Parliament House on November 8. The group displayed a large, hateful sign reading, “abolish the Jewish lobby.”

Minister Burke delivered a strong statement, equating the presence of visa holders to that of guests in a household, leaving no room for ambiguity regarding the government’s zero-tolerance policy for hate speech.

“If you are on a visa you are a guest. If you’re a citizen you’re a full member of the Australian family,” Burke said. “Like with any household, if a guest turns up to show hatred and wreck the household, they can be told it’s time to go home.”

The action follows a growing public and political outcry over the presence and activities of the far-right group in Sydney.

In related action, another man involved in the protest, Cooper Stephens, has been stood down from his job as a frontline rail worker by Transport for NSW pending an investigation into his involvement.