‘We have enough racists’: South Africans reject Matthew Gruter as support fund swells

It seems South African expat and civil engineer Matthew Gruter, who was forcibly removed from his home in a pre-dawn immigration raid following the swift cancellation of his Australian visa, has been met with a resounding rejection from his home country.

Gruter, who moved to Australia in 2022 with his wife, was detained at the Villawood detention centre in Sydney after his involvement in an neo-Nazi rally led to his visa being cancelled on “character grounds”.

The announcement of his imminent deportation sparked immediate and intense reactions, both among Australian politicians and South Africans online.

Reactions to Matthew Gruter visa revocation

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke firmly defended the Gruter’s expulsion, declaring that a visa holder is a “guest” who can be told “it’s time to go home” if they “show hatred and wreck the household”, while the social media reaction – ostensibly from South Africans – to the news of his forced return was far from welcoming.

Social media users expressed frustration and anger, with one comment stating plainly: “We don’t want him either.”

South African journalist Lester Kiewit posted on X (formerly Twitter): “No thanks. The Consumer Protection Act says you can’t return broken goods after 60 days.”

The sentiment was echoed by another X user, who lamented: “We have enough racist a**holes in this country, too many actually”.

See more reactions below:

Australian shadow minister Jonno Duniam summarised the official bipartisan stance, saying there is “no room in Australia for clowns like that” who preach hate, adding: “Go back to where you came from, frankly”.

Meanwhile, a fundraising effort launched by the National Socialist Network had reportedly raised $20,000 (R223,000) as of Tuesday afternoon for the detained South African expat.

The organisation, reported The Guardian, said it was prepared to challenge Gruter’s deportation “via every possible angle”.