When neo-Nazis fled Northcote Plaza with egg on their faces

Considering the (almost?) rally of far-right anti-vaxers at the Northcote Plaza today, it’s worth recalling a famous piece of Melbourne’s anti-fascist history.

In November 1993, neo-nazis from National Action showed up at Northcote Plaza. After being cornered, attacked, and beaten by a diverse crowd of antifascists including “a mean-looking contingent of lesbians” the neo-Nazis were provided an escape route by police.

This was before CARF was formed, but current members were there — as well as at a subsequent counter-demonstration in Brunswick. At that event, National Action’s leader was ranting on a megaphone when eggs came raining down and one flew right into his mouth. That moment was highlighted as the ‘goal of the week’ on The Footy Show.

A current CARF member, who was a teenager at the time, had been sent around the local shops to buy as many eggs as $50 could buy. One of the shopkeepers went to the back and brought out all the expired packs of eggs. It’s likely one of these ended up in the National Action leader’s mouth.

This history was recorded by one of CARF’s founding members in the article “Never Again”: Fascism and Anti-Fascism in Melbourne in the 1990s (Liverpool University Press — link is paywall or academia, sorry!)

Follow the Campaign Against Racism & Fascism on social media for more tidbits like this, and to get involved with building a confident, independent anti-fascist movement in so-called Australia.