- A Swiss immigrant faces deportation for links to right-wing vigilante group
- Jan Herweijer was alerted by Immigration Department he failed character test
- Melbourne-resident has shared anti-Islamic posts from Soldiers of Odin group
A Swiss immigrant is facing deportation after the government discovered links to a far-right-wing vigilante group.
Jan Herweijer, 40, married his Australian wife Louise in 2015 and is currently on a bridging visa.
However, Mr Herweijer was alerted by the Immigration Department last month that he had failed a character test and may have his partner visa application terminated.
Ties to and the sharing of links posted by anti-Islam group Soldiers of Odin to his Facebook page were the catalyst for the decision by the government.
‘I have done nothing illegal. I never post death threats or bad stuff. More what I post is news links or maybe a comment,’ he told Nine News.
Jan Herweijer (pictured left and right) married his Australian wife Louise (far right) in 2015 and is currently on a bridging visa, but is facing deportation for links to a far-right-wing group
The Soldiers of Odin are a faction based off a Finnish group founded by white supremacist Mika Ranta.
They claim to be anti-racism and anti-Nazi but also are openly anti-Islam. Their logo features an Australian flag emblazoned on the helmet of the Norse lord Odin.
The letter Mr Herweijer received last month explains the Immigration Department’s investigation comes as a result of him ‘regularly distributing media stories of criminal acts committed by migrants.’
‘Online behaviour by Mr Herweijer indicates he believes that immigrants are involved in high levels of criminal activity,’ the letter from the Immigration Department says.
The Soldiers of Odin are a faction based off a Finnish group founded by white supremacist Mika Ranta. They claim to be anti-racism and anti-Nazi but also are anti-Islam
Mr Herweijer denied any wrongdoing or history of illegal behaviour.
‘I’ve never been in jail and I could never be violent,’ he told Nine News.
Nine News reports Mr Herweijer’s Facebook shows posts of an anti-Islamic nature and recent news links to terrorism and terrorist-related attacks around the world.
He has been given until the end of the week to respond to their letter of notice.