CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses racism.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has condemned a group of men who held a racist banner outside the Northland Shopping Centre in Preston as “disgusting behaviour by a group of cowards”.
Over the weekend, a photo began circulating on social media of masked men holding a sign reading “Ban n****** not machetes”, standing outside the same shopping centre where rival groups — some armed with machetes — clashed last week, leading to several arrests and a fast-tracked machete ban.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has chosen not to publish the image in full at this time.
The ‘protest’ took place on Saturday night, according to far right wing outlet The Noticer, which was the first to publish the photo. (It’s worth noting here that an investigation by the ABC’s News Verify team found The Noticer regularly promotes white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideologies, and is very popular among Australian neo-Nazi groups.)
According to The Noticer, the men — wearing all black, including black balaclavas — were chanting “white man, fight back”. The publication claims the men were from the National Socialist Network (NSN), a neo-Nazi group also behind racist banners displayed around Melbourne during the 2025 federal election.
“This is disgusting behaviour by a group of cowards who seek to do nothing more than intimidate and spread hatred – we will not stand for it. I strongly condemn this hateful, extremist behaviour and it has no place here in Victoria,” Allan said on Tuesday, per The Guardian.
Victoria Police said an investigation into the Northland Shopping Centre ‘protest’ was underway.
“Police are aware of an incident involving an offensive banner in Preston on 1 June,” a spokesperson told PEDESTRIAN.TV. “It is believed a group gathered at a shopping centre on Murray Road and displayed the sign about 3.30am. An investigation into the incident is underway.”
The photo gained notoriety over the weekend after being shared by Melbourne activist and content creator Jeff Kissubi.
“Australia has a racism problem. Here’s your proof,” he said on Instagram.
“This photo was taken outside Northland Shopping Centre in Melbourne. A group of masked white men stood in public, holding a racist White supremacist banner that called for the immediate ban of black people? Let’s sit with that for a moment.
“In 2025, a group of men can publicly advocate for the racial exclusion or eradication of Black people and there are no police in sight. No immediate dispersal. No headlines. No outrage from the same media who rush to criminalise African, POC, and Indigenous youth for far less.”
“In 2025, a group of men can publicly advocate for the racial exclusion or eradication of Black people and there are no police in sight. No immediate dispersal. No headlines. No outrage from the same media who rush to criminalise African, POC, and Indigenous youth for far less.”
Kissubi continued his thoughts in his Instagram Stories saying, “What we’re seeing now is the cost of pretending this country is ‘post-racial’ while protecting the systems that harm us.”
Another TikTok creator, Yasmeen said in a video, “This is absolutely disgusting, that it’s happening in 2025 where incredibly racist and disgusting things can be said not be held accountable.”
This racist stunt happened just days after a violent brawl at Northland Shopping Centre, where rival groups — some armed with machetes — clashed inside the centre, resulting in a lockdown and several arrests. The incident prompted the Victorian government to fast-track a ban on the sale of machetes, which came into effect on May 28.
When asked to comment on the latest protest today, Allan pointed to Victoria’s newly beefed up hate speech laws, which won’t come into effect until September.
“We have recently passed tougher hate speech laws, which give more powers for police to deal with people who whip up hate and fear against Victorians because of who they are,” she said.
“Now we are unmasking Nazis through our protest laws, and we are making it impossible for them to function by putting their vilifying threats and incitements in the Crimes Act – where they belong.”
However, these new laws are not without controversy. They explicitly ban the use of face masks and balaclavas at protests, and were introduced in response to an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue.
The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network said the expanded police powers was “a dangerous attack on civil liberties” and aimed at “suppressing legitimate public political action by Palestinians”, while Amnesty International said the ban risked “impacting peoples’ fundamental democratic rights, including freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and freedom of association”.
The investigation is ongoing, and police are encouraging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online.
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you’re in distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach the Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
You can also report instances of racism or discrimination to the Australian Human Rights Commission on 1300 656 419 or lodge a complaint online.
Lead image: Getty Images / X
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