There’s been an undeniable stench in the air around the western suburbs of late and it’s not been coming from any factory, abattoir or hazardous material storage facility. This stench has been emanating from a notorious gym in Sunshine West which for some time has been the headquarters and training facility for a group of young male white-supremacist cowards who identify as neo-Nazis.
These men are weaklings because they mostly hide their faces behind balaclavas and rarely travel alone when they’re on their hate crusades; they know their numbers are impotent, and they could lose their jobs if their identities were made public.
The people we can thank for clearing the air of this foul odour are the good folk of the Campaign Against Racism and Fascism and their supporters. Last year this community group held multiple protests against the gym and mobilised a grass-roots campaign to rid the western suburbs of neo-Nazis despite threats of violence.
Why the gym had been allowed to operate for so long is a mystery, but finally the owner of the gym’s site has refused to offer the hate group a new lease.
As campaign organiser Jasmine Duff says “The law, the council, and the landlords were prepared to tolerate these Nazis until hundreds of people made a fuss, [and] marched repeatedly on the headquarters.”
Once again it goes to show that we cannot rely on our ‘leaders’ to lead and serve in the best interests of the community. Positive change happens only when good people take positive constructive action.
As Omar Hassan, another campaigner, says “[It’s] a real testament to the community. To have over 600 people mobilising in an industrial area in the outer suburbs shows that there’s a strong anti-racist sentiment in Melbourne’s West.”
My hat goes off to them both, and all who marched in support, for they are our true leaders.
