‘Are you trying to get us murdered in South Africa?’ Matthew Gruter lands in Joburg after Australia expulsion
Upon landing at OR Tambo Airport, Matthew Gruter lashed out at the media, claiming the reporting was endangering his family’s safety.
South African national Matthew Gruter, the civil engineer who was deported from Australia after his involvement in a neo-Nazi rally, landed at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday, 4 December, alongside his wife, Nathalie Faydherbe, and infant child.
Gruter, who moved to Australia in 2022, had his work visa cancelled on “character grounds” following his participation in a highly provocative anti-Jewish lobby protest outside the New South Wales (NSW) parliament earlier in November.
Visibly upset when confronted by media upon arrival in Johannesburg, Gruter lashed out at photographers, claiming the reporting was endangering his family’s safety.
Addressing the media directly regarding his forced removal from Australia, an irritated Gruter asked: “Are you trying to get us attacked and murdered in South Africa? Is that what you are trying to do, trying to label us?”
He further challenged the fairness of the cancellation, saying he was kicked out “just for standing” at the protest, while “murders and rapists get to stay”.
Australia kicks out ‘guest’ Matthew Gruter
Gruter’s expulsion was confirmed by Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, who defended the decision by emphasizing 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”.
The expulsion followed Gruter’s confirmed involvement in the National Socialist Network (NSN) rally, where men chanted “blood and honour” and displayed a banner reading “Abolish the Jewish lobby”.
South Africans react to visa cancellation
When the news of Gruter’s impending deportation broke, the reaction from South Africans online expressed frustration at his forced return, with one popular comment from journalist Lester Kiewit stating: “No thanks. The Consumer Protection Act says you can’t return broken goods after 60 days.”
This sentiment of rejection was widely echoed, as another X (formerly Twitter) user lamented: “We have enough racist a**holes in this country, too many actually.”