Protesters with White Supremacist Ideologies Trespass on Indigenous Sacred Grounds
NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe has labeled the demonstrators as ‘abhorrent’ and authorities are currently investigating the matter.
A group of Australian nationalists have violated a ban on climbing at Wollumbin Mountain in New South Wales by unveiling a banner at the summit with the message “Mt Warning for the White man” and sharing the photos on social media.
Mt Warning is the previous name of the mountain, which holds sacred significance for Aboriginal people, leading to a climbing restriction above 600 meters.
Despite this restriction, the Queensland branch of the neo-Nazi group, the National Socialist Network, posted images from a weekend hike in late October, showing 13 members holding the banner at the peak alongside the Australian flag and their group’s flag.
They stated, “White Australians created and maintained the path for nearly a century and white Australians should dictate who climbs it. Australia was constructed by and for white individuals, and we are reclaiming the mountain and country.”
Wollumbin was initially shut to the public in 2020 due to COVID-19 safety measures. Since then, the Wollumbin Consultative Group, Indigenous guardians, have restricted access to the summit to only local Aboriginal men.
According to a local conservation plan, the mountain is a site of “utmost significance to the Bundjalung people,” and allowing public access to the summit has led to vandalism, graffiti, litter, and disruption of the area.
The closure of the trail has frustrated numerous locals and climbing enthusiasts nationwide, prompting calls for its reopening from the Libertarian Party and newly elected independent Tweed councillor Kimberly Hone.
NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe strongly denounced the demonstrators, declaring that any act of spreading hate would be treated with utmost seriousness.
“This conduct is completely abhorrent, and I denounce those involved,” she announced in a statement.
