The appearance of men wearing t-shirts with the Z symbol at a performance of the Russian Orthodox Male Choir at the Sydney Town Hall on 28 April 2023 was sickening. One man was photographed shaking hands with the Russian Consul General Igor Arzhaev.
The neo-fascist, pro-war Russian Z symbol – a symbol of hate, aggression and genocide – has no place in Australia.
Thank you to the Ukrainian Council of NSW for pursuing this matter with Multicultural NSW and the City of Sydney. Thank you to Clover Moore, Lord Mayor of Sydney for expressing your anger about this ‘display of hate’.
The AFUO and its member state organisations have previously raised with government our distress and concern at the appearance of the Z symbol at pro-war Russian rallies, at the Australian Open, and in graffiti near Ukrainian community centres.
We will continue to demand that the symbol be banned as a hate symbol.
