Neo-Nazis dressed in black and wearing balaclavas at the refugee protest.
“It is understood a group of about 20 people attended the rally just before 6pm,” said a police spokesperson.
“Officers formed a line to separate the two groups before they[police officers] were forced to deploy OC[pepper] spray.
“Police will assess the circumstances surrounding the demonstration and review vision of the incident and people involved.”
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The refugees and their supporters have been steadfast in their encampment outside the Department of Home Affairs office for months,demanding the federal government put an end to their “limbo” and approve permanent visas.
At the centre of the issue is an Abbott government policy from 2014 that retrospectively meant people who arrived in Australia by boat between August 2012 and July 2013 – before the introduction of offshore processing – would not be granted permanent residency in Australia.
The policy created a “fast-track” process for assessing refugee status,and those who were found to be refugees could only ever get temporary protection visas. About 30,000 people were affected.
Labor’s policy at the last election called for the fast-track system to be abolished and,when it came into government,it gave about 20,000 people with refugee status permanent visas.
But for about 8500 people who never went through the refugee-assessment interview,whose refugee status was denied,or who have been stuck in appeals processes,there has been no resolution.
The refugees at the encampment have been “in this state of limbo for more than 12 years”,Tamil Refugee Council spokesperson Aran Mylvaganam said.
“From the day we started the encampment,the refugees brought so much energy to the campaign. They’re really desperate for a resolution.
“When the Nazis turned up,there was a bit of disruption,but they were chased away,the energy was maintained,and people continued on with the rally.
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“[But] it’s obviously a horrifying experience for a lot of refugees who’ve fled similar sorts of issues in their homeland … and they are fighting for their basic rights.”
Mylvaganam said the refugees at the encampment have been subjected to other racist attacks in addition to those by the neo-Nazis.
“My hand was dislocated as a result of a racist attack earlier in the encampment,” he said.
With Natassia Chrysanthos and Henrietta Cook