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Nazi sympathisers host US band Final War
By Greg Roberts
October 27, 2007 01:00am
Article from: The Australian
MELBOURNE'S Croatian community is under fire for hosting a rock concert for neo-Nazi skinheads, publishing anti-Semitic material on the internet and naming a building after fascist Croatian dictator Ante Pavelic.
The Melbourne Knights Soccer Club yesterday launched an extraordinary attack on its social arm, the Croatia Social Club, for hosting the October 13 concert by groups that incite violence and attacks against Jews and other minorities.
"I am deeply disturbed that the good reputation of our football club has been tarnished by the social club's incompetence," Knights chairman Matt Tomas said.
'We fight Jews'
The concert at the Knights' North Sunshine complex was headlined by US neo-Nazi band Final War.
The band describes itself as "defenders of the Reich", and its songs boast: "We fight Jews".
Australian skinhead band Fortress also played.
Its song, Parasites, urges repatriation of immigrants: "If they don't [censored] like it, it'll be in body bags".
The concert was organised by the Australian chapters of neo-Nazi skinhead groups Blood and Honour and Southern Cross Hammer Skins.
Group members in the US and Europe have been convicted of assaults, bombings and murders.
Anti-Semitic messages from the Knights' Croatian fans are posted on the Knights Army Forum website.
One posting says Jews would "sell their mothers for a dollar".
'Are you a dirty Jew?'
Melbourne campaigner Cam Smith said anti-racism activists alerted the Knights to the nature of the concert several hours before it started.
"As soon as we found out, we contacted whoever we could at the Knights through phone numbers on their website," Mr Smith said.
"They weren't interested. One of their people asked one of our people if he was a dirty Jew."
Mr Tomas said he did not know who was attending the concert, but he would investigate Mr Smith's claim that Knights members were contacted, adding: "I don't associate with that sort of scum. I'm utterly disgusted about this."
Mr Tomas said the concert was approved by the Croatia Social Club, a separate legal entity to the football club.
Contacted by The Weekend Australian, social club manager Catarina Malacic denied the event was held. "There was nothing on at the venue that night," she said.
Social club 'didn't check booking'
Later, club committee member Ivan Skunca confirmed the premises were booked for a concert, but said the club did not know who made the booking.
"It was a mistake. Perhaps we had an obligation to check these people out and we didn't.
"We apologise for that."
B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission director Manny Waks said he was disturbed the concert was held in view of links between the Croatian community and neo-Nazi elements.
Mr Waks said the Croatia Club - a separate entity to the Knights' social club - had ignored Jewish protests against the naming of its Footscray hall after Ustashi Nazi collaborator Ante Pavelic, who was responsible for the slaughter of 700,000 Serbs, Jews and Gypsies.
Topic: 'Gestapo club' strikes again (Read 1981 times)