Patriotic Youth League

The Patriotic Youth League (PYL) was a youth organisation in Australia. They described themselves as 'radical nationalists'. Their logo was the Eureka Flag.

The PYL was founded in late 2002 by Stuart McBeth, a student at the University of Newcastle who had been involved with the One Nation Party. It acted as the youth wing of the Australia First Party, under the mentorship of former National Socialist Party of Australia member and National Action leader Dr. James Saleam.

The PYL allegedly had many links to international White Supremacist groups, including the New Zealand National Front and Volksfront. Andrew Wilson, then the president of the PYL's Sydney branch, told the Sydney Morning Herald that McBeth had founded the Australian branch of the Volksfront organisation.[1]

Before closing their main website, the PYL advertised neo-Nazi bands.[2]

At its peak the PYL was believed to have branches in Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra and Melbourne. The PYL's Melbourne branch was closed in 2006 by its leader Luke Connors. He claimed that there were too many neo-Nazis in the Australia First Party and the League, and that they were holding the party back.[3] The PYL's Newcastle chapter folded shortly thereafter.

Because two of their branches have been closed and their website has been defunct since 2006, the PYL are believed to be disbanded. In early 2010, the Australia First Party founded a new youth organisation, the Eureka Youth League.

Alleged links to violence

The Sydney Morning Herald has linked the PYL to racially motivated attacks at the University of Newcastle.[1][4]

In December 2005, PYL members were present at the Cronulla riots.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Neo-Nazi link to campus anti-foreigner campaign" by Matthew Thompson, The Sydney Morning Herald, 31 August 2004
  2. ↑ Sounds of Hate Aijac.com - August 2000
  3. ↑ 'Luke Connors archive' Fightdemback.org, Retrieved 13 April 2009
  4. ↑ "Campus racism rises" by Sarah Price, The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 August 2004
  5. ↑ "Neo-Nazis in race riots: police" Sydney Morning Herald, 11 December 2005

External links

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