Around 60 men dressed in black gathered on Saturday at a protest organized by the Neo-Nazi group National Socialist Network (NSN) outside the New South Wales Parliament House. The group displayed a banner that read, "Abolish the Jewish lobby." Unusually, the men were not wearing masks, which allowed journalists to identify them and gather information about their backgrounds through social media.

One of the men photographed at the front of the rally was identified as Matthew Gruter, who relocated from South Africa to Australia in 2022. An online job profile for Gruter indicates he is a senior civil engineer specializing in water and wastewater at Aurecon, a multinational design, engineering, and consulting firm. A spokesperson for Aurecon stated that the company was "looking into the matter" but did not confirm Gruter's employment status. Gruter's wife has shared information online suggesting he moved to Australia on a visa that required sponsorship from an Australian business.

Gruter was seen wearing a silver bracelet inscribed with the phrase "blood and honour," a term historically linked to the Hitler Youth. This phrase was also chanted multiple times during the rally. Journalists from ABC News Verify matched images of Gruter from the protest with those found on social media, aided by research from anti-fascist group White Rose Society. One photo shows him wearing the same sunglasses as seen at the protest, while another depicts him in a Helly Hansen jacket, a style favored by NSN members.

When contacted, Gruter denied attending the protest. However, he responded to questions about the bracelet by stating, "Since when is it a crime to love and advocate for your own people?" His wife's social media accounts feature images of the couple traveling across Australia, including one showing Gruter with a tattoo that appears to be in Hebrew script.

Kaz Ross, an independent researcher focused on far-right movements, noted that recruitment tactics have evolved over the years. "That 1.0 [Nazi] was kind of 'Romper Stomper' — that image," she said. "You might be organizing to tribe and train, but the politics is secondary — the idea is to build numbers and then hopefully you can recruit people to your cause. But [the new strategy] is: 'We will go for anyone in any level of society, and we are successful, we will win, we will be successful, and we have the active club model, but we had the politics thrown in as well.'"

Another individual at the protest was identified as Dean Alessi, a race car enthusiast who competed this year under his family's racing brand, Alessi Motorsport. Alessi confirmed he is a "proud member of White Australia," another name used by NSN. Both Gruter and a man resembling Alessi were photographed at the March for Australia rally on August 31, standing among NSN members and dressed in black.

Oscar Tuckfield, who was also present at the protest, has a history with far-right groups. In 2018, he was revealed to be part of a plot to influence the Young Nationals from within. ABC News Verify previously reported that Tuckfield was at the March for Australia rally, where he served as a marshal and was not dressed in black like the NSN members. The chief organizer of the March for Australia has denied any knowledge of marshals having ties to the NSN.