A British man living in Western Australia is set to be deported over claims that he was part of a well-known neo-Nazi group.
Ryan Turner’s visa was cancelled on character grounds and he was taken into immigration detention on Tuesday. He can appeal the decision to cancel his visa or voluntarily return to the UK.
Turner is understood to be a member of the National Socialist Network, the same group that organised an anti-Jewish rally outside the New South Wales parliament last year.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said: “Our government has zero tolerance for bigotry and hate. If you don’t like Australia, you can leave.”
The BBC has contacted the UK Foreign Office for comment.
Last year, Australia tightened its hate crime laws, introducing mandatory jail terms for displaying hate symbols or performing a Nazi salute.
In recent months, police have been cracking down on the use of these symbols amid fears of rising antisemitism and right wing extremism.
Several foreign nationals with links to Nazi ideology have had their visas revoked including South African man Matthew Gruter who was detained last November.
Gruter was also a part of the National Socialist Network and took part in the neo-Nazi rally outside the New South Wales parliament. It is unclear if Turner attended.
Gruter was pictured in the front row of the rally along with about 60 other men, all clad in black, with a banner saying “abolish the Jewish lobby”.
Attendees also reportedly chanted “blood and honour”, a slogan associated with the Hitler Youth, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Gruter, who had lived in Australia since 2022 and worked as a civil engineer, returned to South Africa with his wife and young child, the ABC reported in early December.
In another case, a British man living in Queensland was arrested and charged for allegedly using a social media account to post the Nazi swastika, promote pro-Nazi ideology and call for violence towards the Jewish community.
Just before Christmas, the man who was identified in court documents as Kayn Adam Charles Wells, was placed in immigration detention in Brisbane after his visa was cancelled.
He faced court earlier this week – where he is understood to have requested voluntary removal from Australia – with the case adjourned until February.
Last month, days after two gunmen killed 15 people at a Jewish event at Bondi Beach, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a crackdown on hate speech with new laws to target “those who spread hate, division and radicalisation”.
The reforms also aim to give the home affairs minister new powers to cancel or refuse visas for those who spread hate.
