In the wake of the tragic events seen in Porepunkah this week, an outpouring of tributes for the two police officers who were shot dead has reverberated across social media.
Unfortunately, one Lilydale cafe was caught up in posting an emblem now associated with the far-right and white supremacists, despite its origins being rooted in a sign of respect and camaraderie for police officers.
The image was of a black and white flag, with a thin, horizontal blue line running through the centre and an angel slumped over the flag.
Known as the thin blue line flag, it was commandeered by US white supremacist groups and those who opposed the Black Lives Matter movement, especially seen during the violent ‘Unite the Right’ rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017.
In Australia, the most recent iteration of the flag being used with racially motivated intentions was in the case of a Northern Territory police sergeant, Lee Bauwens, the direct superior of Zachary Rolfe, who fatally shot 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in the remote community of Yuendumu in 2019.
The ABC reported in early August that Sergeant Bauwens used the thin blue line flag as his cover photo on social media for three years, beginning the day of Mr Rolfe’s murder trial. Mr Rolfe was acquitted of all charges.
Independent researcher into far-right extremism, Dr Kaz Ross, said the flag has become associated with far-right extremism and racism.
“It’s more of an ambiguous symbol, because it actually just symbolises that the police are the line between order and chaos, and so therefore it’s a very politically charged thing for police to wear when they are policing protests or something like that,” she said.
The cafe manager, in a statement to Star Mail, said she was unaware of the connotations now associated with the symbol and was just trying to acknowledge the two officers who died on duty.
She deleted the photo after Star Mail reached out.
“I would never post anything to cause harm or offence to anyone, let alone our men and women who serve us,” she said.
“I’m very sad to hear that such a tragic event of the murder of two police men and serious injury to a third, has resulted in this situation.”
Star Mail contacted the cafe after receiving an email from a concerned citizen, who said, “I am worried by local businesses haphazardly posting white supremacist imagery, even unintentionally”.
While there was no malice involved, nor any links to the far right, Dr Ross said this well-intentioned post was not the first incident of people unknowingly using symbols associated with extremist groups.
“I see it all the time that people just grab something that looks fun or useful or moving online, and they have no idea that there’s actually a whole history to it,” she said.
“We see it all the time with tattoos. People who have runic tattoos often have this ‘cool Viking tattoo’, but that was not actually from the Vikings. That was actually something invented by the Nazis.
“You see that all the time. It’s because we just see images flashing by us online without any context.”
Dr Ross said she likes to give people the benefit of the doubt and “it depends on the context” as to whether it is racially or extremist charged, and given the tragedy that unfolded in Porepunkah, she would suggest the post didn’t fit either of those categories.
“It’s just such a fraught and sad time, particularly for people whose relatives and partners are in the police force. It’s a really scary time for them and I wouldn’t think it’s a problematic use of it,” she said.
“If you’re just a normal, everyday person, you have no idea what the thin blue line has come to represent.
“But if you’re an Aboriginal person, or if you’re someone who’s come up against police in protests, in some way, you do know, because you’ve been at the other side of it.”
Conjecture over whether the thin blue line flag is racist has been seen across Australia and the UK.
Police forces have invoked uniform policies to prevent the wearing of the flag as a badge, including in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, as well as the UK’s Metropolitan Police.
The outer east was recently the target of racially motivated graffiti, which Dr Ross at the time said she believed also had links to far-right extremist groups.
Posters and images connected to a neo-Nazi group, with a masked figure and runic symbols, have been spotted from Mount Evelyn to Mitcham, with one concerned citizen calling it out on social media, requesting people report hate or racist material.
“This isn’t just a random edgy sticker, it’s propaganda rooted in hate, racism, and extremism,” the post read.
“This kind of messaging doesn’t just appear by accident. It’s part of a broader movement that tries to make hate feel normal, acceptable, or even patriotic. And I find it disgusting that something like this is showing up in a community I love and want to feel safe in.
“I’m asking our community to stay alert, call this stuff out, and report it when you see it. Hate has no place here, and silence is what allows it to spread.”
More information on reporting racism can be found at: vic.gov.au/reporting-racism-victoria and humanrights.gov.au/complaints
