RDA is not,by any measure,a fringe organisation. The group has chapters in almost every state and territory,a near 100,000 strong mailing list and a Telegram channel with almost 70,000 subscribers. Its supporters are highly engaged,consistently turning out for demonstrations,live streams and group catch-ups in substantial numbers. When Smit was charged with incitement during Melbourne’s lockdown,her supporters donated more than $200,000 for her legal defence fund.
Part of the RDA’s success in the anti-lockdown movement can be explained by its relatively moderate approach. Although its leaders flout public health restrictions and proliferate misinformation,it abstains from the antisemitic and neo-Nazi rhetoric so prevalent in the wider anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine community. It does not blame “Zionists” for health restrictions,or claim that Jews invented the Coronavirus vaccines and masterminded the September 11 terrorist attacks. On the surface,RDA appears a legitimate,if misguided,political association representing a small but dedicated constituency of vaccine-hesitant Australians.
But that does not mean the UAP-RDA affiliation is not cause for some alarm. To understand why we need to go further than evaluating its official and public statements. We must consider how this group achieved its enormous following,where its supporters are coming from,and what kind of behaviour is deemed permissible by RDA leaders and affiliates. Since August,the magazine I write forPlus61Jhas monitored just this and uncovered several highly concerning incidents.
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There is no longer any doubt that neo-Nazis and anti-Semites have capitalised on the anti-vaccine movement as a fertile ground for recruitment and influence. Several of the anti-vaccine movement’s most celebrated activists,such asHarrison McLean and David Oneeglio,have actively promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories. In September Oneeglio shared an outright neo-Nazi propaganda film calledEuropa:The Last Battle and told his 40,000 followers it was a “must see”. As a supposedly sensible actor in the anti-vaccine network,we would expect RDA to keep its distance from such types. This has not been the case.
Only a month ago,Oneeglio wasbrought on to the RDA youtube channel as a guest, described as a “passionate,down to earth” activist. RDA has promoted protests where speakers included lockdown activist Harrison McLean,who isdevotedly interested in spreading awareness of the “Jewish Question” and the links between the “New World Order” and the Jewish community.
On RDA chat groups,several of which have thousands of users,neo-Nazis have long encouraged members to join their channels for “patriotic content and freedom rally updates”. Self-declared white supremacists such asNeil Erikson andJarrad Searby appear at RDA-endorsed events. Speeches by members of the National Social Network,Australia’s largest neo-Nazi group,are reposted and discussed,and antisemitic slurs and conspiracies abound. In September,Plus61Jnoted the following exchangebetween two users on the RDA national chat group: