| Australian National Action | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | National Action |
| Founders |
|
| Leader | Jim Saleam (first) Michael Brander (last) |
| Foundation | February 1982; 44 years ago (1982-02)[3] |
| Dates of operation | 1982 (1982) – 1995 (1995) |
| Dissolved | 1995; 31 years ago (1995) |
| Country | Australia |
| Motives | The promotion ofAustralian patriotism andrestriction of immigration[4] |
| Headquarters | Tempe,New South Wales[5] |
| Newspaper | Audacity(1983–1989)[6] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Right-wing[11] tofar-right[12] |
| Size | est. 500 (1989)[13] |
| Opponents | |
Australian National Action, commonly known asNational Action,[15] was anAustralianfar-rightmilitant organization established in 1982 and active until 1995. Founded byJim Saleam and Frank Salter, alongside other fifteen people,[16] NA described itself as anAustralian nationalist movement that sought to defend Australia’s White and European identity by combating multiculturalism and immigration —particularly fromAsia— through a strategy of “political guerrilla warfare”.[17] Initially astudent-based movement, NA evolved into a more aggressive organization reacting against multiculturalism, which they perceived as threats to a predominantlyWhite Australian society.[18]
Ideologically, National Action drew inspiration from theradical nationalist tradition in earlylabourist movements, being influenced by historical figures such asWilliam Lane andP.R. Stephensen, and argued that Australia as a country should remain predominantly aWhite,European nation with homogenous values and beliefs, based on its labour-nationalist-republican political tradition.[19] NA was characterized by a hierarchical structure characterized by itsauthoritarian leadership, and they supported militantdirect action to achieve its political goals.[17] Among their targets wereracial minorities,immigrants,homosexuals and organizations supportive ofprogressive causes.[20]
After a failed attempt to depose National Action’s leadership,Jack van Tongeren alongside other radical members from NA split from the organization and formed theAustralian Nationalist Movement (ANM) in 1985, where he established himself as their “supreme leader”.[21] The ANM was founded under aNational Socialist program, and carried a violent campaing againstAsian inmigration byfirebombing a number ofChinese restaurants.[22] Van Tongeren wished to outbid National Action’s militancy as they saw it as competition to control theanti-Asian movement, starting asmear campaign against its ‘leftist’ leadership to eliminate them.[23] However, it is suspected that both groups remained connected.[24]
In January 1989, two National Action members carried out ashotgun attack into the home ofAfrican National Congress representative Eddie Funde, leading to their charge alongside Saleam as theprovider of the weapon.[11] Saleam’s imprisonment in 1991, alongside the murder of a member in NA’s headquarters inTempe that same year, lead to the group’s decline.[25] Saleam pleaded not guilty to his charge, claiming that he was set up by police, but was still imprisoned for three years.[5] Saleam later became theNew South Wales chairman of theAustralia First Party, and stood as its endorsed candidate several times.[25] The NA would last until 1995, beforePauline Hanson emerged and began the process of popularizing and polarizing the group’snationalist platform.[26]
