THESATURDAYPAPER.COM.AU APRIL 11-17, 2015 THE SATURDAY PAPER 3 Ugly clashes at Reclaim Australia rallies around the country may have only served to cement a feeling of ‘us’ and ‘them’. Martin McKenzie- Murray reports RECLAIM AUSTRALIA PROTESTS THREATEN MORE DIVISION AAP IMAGE - Anti-racist campaigners clash with Reclaim Australia supporters at a Melbourne rally last Saturday. Scott Moerland’s army mate was in the marchers, for instance, earnestly sought the story’s life by a week. One journalist disagrees. Fleming – who has attracted the mess tent reading an English translation of Aboriginal endorsement and sympathy, at described the scenes as trench warfare, ire of chief Reclaim organiser Shermon the Koran. It was 2003 or 2004, and the the same time arguing about the presumed which is hyperbolic, but it was periodically Burgess – attended the anti-Reclaim Australian soldiers were stationed at the historical tendency of Muslims to demand dangerous. Punches were thrown, blood protests, and argues that you cannot allow United States-run Camp Victory, a series of special status as victims. Shakira Hussein, a was drawn. There was spitting and bigotry to go unchecked. “I think ignoring complexes fixed around Baghdad airport. Muslim academic, attended the protests in screaming. Lined up against each other, the RA [Reclaim Australia] is a mistake,” His buddy waved the book. “You gotta read Melbourne last week and wrote about some Reclaimers would chant “Aussie, Aussie, Fleming told me, “based on the assumption this mate; it’s fucked up.” of her experiences for Crikey. I asked her Aussie – Oi, Oi, Oi” to which the anti-racist that such ideas and movements that RA about these contradictions. protesters responded with variations on represents – racism, xenophobia and right- “Nah, I’m not interested in that shit,” “Fuck off, racists.” Police on horses ringed wing ultra-nationalism – will gain Moerland replied. “[It’s] partly because of the odd mix of them all. legitimacy and grow if left unchallenged. people who attended: Rise Up Australia With regards to being inflammatory, I think But Moerland became interested. After he Christians, atheists who were opposed to The footage asked the question: how best to an examination of the political rhetoric left the Australian Army in 2006, Moerland religion in general but Islam in particular, respond to Reclaim? The anti-Reclaim employed by Reclaimers confirms that fixated on Islam. His interest was white supremacists, and members of other protesters organised themselves with Islamophobia is already a blazing fire.” compounded by the stories of persecution immigrant communities,” Hussein said. guerilla tactics and spoke in similarly told to him by his brother-in-law, an Iraqi militaristic terms as their opponents. For I wondered if such dramatic, physical Christian who fled to Australia. “I couldn’t “It also reflects a shift in focus from them, Federation Square was not a place to confrontation didn’t validate the sense of understand why there are so many nice biological to cultural racism. I was be symbolically reclaimed but physically. persecution felt by Reclaimers, and also Muslims but also some really bad ones,” surprised to see that the deployment of They spoke of repelling forces. Their stated serve as a flattering reinforcement of an “us Moerland told me this week. Indigenous identity was such a strong factor intention was bald: to “disrupt” the Reclaim versus them” mentality. Such a view helps “Compounding my confusion was what we in the rally. That weirded me out more than march. There were no niceties here. Brad recruit others and solders bonds in a way were getting told by the media, the anything, really. It’s about ‘authenticity’ – Chilcott, an Adelaide church pastor and that being ignored or mocked does not. politicians and everyday ignorant do- in terms of Australian identity – plus an national director of Welcome to Australia, Fleming replied: “The actions of those gooders who have no knowledge alibi against the charge of racism.” spent a long time consulting Muslim leaders rallying to oppose RA could serve to whatsoever of Islam after every terrorist in the weeks preceding the protests. They reinforce the notion that there’s an ‘us’ and Alongside this grab bag of concerned atrocity. That is that ‘Islam is a religion of workshopped strategies, focusing upon a ‘them’, but I believe this to be a citizens was a contingent of neo-Nazis, peace’, or this: ‘terrorists have hijacked this “subtle and symbolic” opposition. In the worthwhile risk and, to some extent, especially at the Melbourne protests. This peaceful religion’. This sparked a decade- end, because of safety concerns, they reflects an underlying political reality.” week, on white supremacist chat forums long obsession to find the truth.” shelved their ideas, among them a mass and blogs, video footage of violence was picnic, pluralistic and peaceful, to be Different Australias “We’re gonna give radical Islam the biggest boastfully shared. Clips of thugs with established in one of Adelaide’s parks. bitch slap it’s ever felt." swastika tattoos were uploaded under titles Regardless, he felt the provocative anti- Scott Moerland told me that because of his such as “Patriots versus Filth” and views he had lost friends, “but I’ve found This obsession culminated last week when protests were ill conceived. soundtracked by Angry Anderson’s “Bound many more”. For years, he says, he toiled in Moerland, as one of the principal organisers For Glory”. “Reminds me of [The Battle of] “Look, I think your audience is not the silence, frustrated by his friends “who of the Reclaim protests, gave a long speech Thermopylae,” one excited forum member racists you’re shouting at, but the people at wouldn’t listen to facts”. He would grow in Brisbane. He took the microphone and wrote. home,” Chilcott told me. “These anti- weary, but revive his passions by watching stood on the same stage Pauline Hanson Reclaim protesters say their intention is to footage of “Islamic atrocities” online. These had earlier occupied. It was a speech When I asked Moerland about this Nazi disrupt the rally and they achieved it, but I days he thinks that the tide is turning. punctuated by angry denunciations of the presence, he said there was none at the say, ‘Can’t we be more expansive in the People are listening. “It’s starting to anti-Reclaim protesters standing nearby. Brisbane march. “I’m ex-army, mate,” he goals?’ These protesters tell me, ‘Would happen. We’ll have another rally and it’ll be The word “traitor” was bitterly reserved for told me. “I fucking hate ’em. If there were you prefer that we stay silent?’, and I’m not bigger than ever. Maybe in August or them, and it was rarely deployed without any neo-Nazis at Brisbane they would’ve saying that at all. But those watching at September, but it’s not set in stone.” the effect of it being spat. “We’re not going been quickly told to fuck off. But our home, they couldn’t tell the good guys from to roll over like a scared, politically correct opponents cling to it because they have no the bad. Then politicians have to condemn Moerland believes he occupies a very little dog and take it,” he said before a other arguments.” the violence on both sides, rather than an different Australia to the one Tim Watts cheering crowd. “We’re gonna give radical lives in. “We’ve got a great thing going This I’ve heard a lot – the Nazi presence is undiluted message condemning bigotry. Islam the biggest bitch slap it’s ever felt … here,” Watts told me. “We do immigration either fabricated or exaggerated, adopted as And this is what happened.” The Islamic agenda is very clear: Islam’s better than Europe. But these people watch a smearing technique by “traitors” and intention is to take over every society it Federal Labor MP Tim Watts agrees. Watts atrocities from overseas, then extrapolate “enemies”. When I told Moerland there infiltrates … Now, when I served overseas I was a prominent opponent of Reclaim this out from a vanishingly small minority in were neo-Nazis at the Melbourne march, he had to wear Kevlar everywhere we went. week, as he engaged countless protest Australia. My biggest concern is for my said that it’s disappointing but they would Now down in Sydney right now, the supporters on Facebook. The MP patiently Muslim constituents. They’re Australians, number a minority. Then he made another speakers doing what we’re doing have to refuted conspiracies and parried abuse. He and they can’t be excluded. To the Reclaim suggestion: “We have a secret comms wear bulletproof vests. I never thought I’d directly echoed Chilcott on the matter people, I say come down to my electorate page,” he told me. “And we’ve been see the day where someone has to wear a of audience. and actually meet and talk to my Muslim discussing theories that socialists set this bulletproof vest just for speaking out about constituents. You’ll see that they’re proud up. That the Nazis were planted to discredit a friggin’ religion.” “As an anti-racism protester, your audience to be Australian. That they want to talk the movement. Now, I have no proof of this are the bystanders,” Watts told me. “The about footy. Like [Richmond AFL player] Reclaim’s intention, it says, is to combat at the moment. I need to make that clear. ones watching from home on the news Bachar Houli – they’re so proud of him … the Islamisation of Australian society. But But there is an investigative journalist bulletin. It’s about convincing audiences.