4 September 2025

Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) condemns the racist, violent attack carried out by neo-Nazi extremists at Camp Sovereignty in Melbourne on Sunday. This was a racist assault on Aboriginal people gathered in cultural strength. It was a calculated act of hate, designed to instil fear and assert dominance. It has no place in any society that claims to uphold justice.

The attack was cowardly. It was driven by fear masquerading as pride. The kind of fear that lashes out when truth begins to rise. These neo-Nazis shout about ‘taking back’ a country that has never belonged to them. Sovereignty was never ceded, and no amount of hate can erase that.

We stand with Camp Sovereignty and with every person harmed by this targeted violence. Camp Sovereignty is not just a protest site – it is a place of deep cultural significance, ceremony, healing, and resistance. It is sacred ground. An attack on it is an attack on the rights, dignity, and safety of all First Peoples, and on every community that believes in justice and truth.

The individuals responsible for this violence are not fringe actors. They are part of a growing and dangerous far-right movement that must be taken seriously. These groups promote white supremacy and thrive on spreading fear and division. They must be named, condemned, and prosecuted. There must be criminal consequences for all involved. Racist violence and hate-fuelled intimidation cannot be ignored, excused, or quietly tolerated.

The neo-Nazi violence at Camp Sovereignty is a hate crime. Silence is not neutrality — it is complicity. Every leader in this country must reject extremism and protect our vulnerable communities. Anything less risks normalising hate in Australia.

First Nations peoples expect their elected representatives to uphold the highest standards of democratic responsibility. Extremism cannot be excused, ignored, or downplayed. Words matter. And so does silence. Inaction in the face of hate is itself an action. It emboldens perpetrators and abandons the communities they target.

The five National Party representatives in Gippsland have remained silent. That silence has not gone unnoticed. In choosing not to speak out, they send a message to their base — that hate can go unchecked. That extremism is normalised.

This is a test of leadership. You either stand with democratic values and community safety, or you stand with silence. And silence has consequences.

Aboriginal people have faced 237 years of systemic violence and oppression. We are exhausted. But we are not broken. First peoples continue to endure because we are strong in culture, in kinship, and in resistance. We will not disappear. We will not stand aside. We will continue to lead.

We say clearly to every marginalised community, especially those targeted by the anti-immigration rallies — we see you. We stand with you. You are valued and deeply respected. This land is home to many cultures and many histories. Hate will not divide us.

GLaWAC is committed to building a future grounded in strength, truth, and shared responsibility. We walk alongside all who reject hate and believe in a fairer, safer future for all.

To those who walk with us: now is the time to rise. Not in hate. Not in silence. But in truth. In resistance. And in unity.