A South African neo-Nazi facing imminent deportation after attending an anti-Semitic rally says he fears for the safety of his wife and newborn daughter who remain in Australia under his now-cancelled visa.
Engineer Matthew Gruter was one of 60 demonstrators linked to the National Socialist Network who protested outside NSW Parliament on November 9, shouting Nazi slogans and unfurling a large banner that read 'Abolish the Jewish Lobby'.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed on Monday that he had cancelled Gruter's work visa in light of the incident, with the foreign national taken into custody hours later by Australian Border Force officers during a predawn raid of his north Sydney home.
Speaking to the Daily Mail from inside Villawood Detention Centre, Gruter said the Home Affairs office had not responded to his family's queries about his wife Nathalie Faydherbe's visa status or legality in the country.
Ms Faydherbe, also from South Africa, is a fitness influencer with more than 20,000 followers who worked as a dance instructor before giving birth to the couple's baby last month.
Her visa status is now uncertain, as she entered Australia as a partner on Gruter's visa.
The Daily Mail does not suggest she holds the same neo-Nazi views as her husband or that she has done anything that would warrant the removal of her visa.
Gruter said Australian Border Force officials have told him they 'won't discuss the visa status of non-detainees with detainees'.
'My concern is that if she is illegal, or becomes illegal, then she will also be at risk of being raided, handcuffed and dragged off to the detention centre with our newborn,' he said.
Gruter said he is yet to be told when authorities will fly him out of the country, but there has been a suggestion it would happen within a week.
He said, if he is to be deported, the family want to leave on the same flight together.
'Splitting up the family and making my wife fly alone with the baby and all their luggage would be cruel and unreasonable,' he said.
'But ABF confirmed in my interview yesterday that, "Our only priority in this situation is getting me out of the country ASAP. We will deal with your wife and daughter once you are gone."
'Our daughter is one month old and we have no reasonable possibility of getting a passport from the South African High Commission or Consulate in time.
'ABF/Home Affairs will need to assist us in producing emergency travel documents for our daughter - but they have not committed to any assistance in this regard on a timeline that would allow us to leave together.'
Gruter said their abrupt departure means his wife, who is five weeks postpartum, will have to pack up their home and belongings on her own and prepare for them to be shipped back to South Africa.
'My wife will have to take the bare essentials including baby stroller, bassinet and car seat with her on her flight, and pay for as much additional luggage allowance as possible,' he said.
'They have indicated to me that they have no obligation to assist with getting me additional luggage allowance for my flight, so I would have to take the minimum.'
Gruter said his wife is not 'medically advised to be doing heavy lifting' or 'packing up boxes and household goods', but 'she has been forced to because the ABF deemed it necessary to detain me within six hours of issuing my visa cancellation'.
He said the ABF should have instead allowed him a few days to assist his wife in packing up their home before allowing them to leave voluntarily together.
Asked by the Daily Mail whether he stands by his decision to protest or whether he now regrets it, Gruter said: 'In time I will reflect and comment on the content and situation surrounding the protest.
'For now I am solely focused on my wife and daughter and leaving together safely.'
Gruter, who has been at Villawood since he was taken into custody at 4am on Tuesday, claims all the other detainees at the facility are 'hardened criminals' from prison and he is the only one who 'hasn't been suspected or convicted of a crime'.
However, under Australia's visa requirements, visitors do not have to be charged or suspected of a crime to face deportation.
Despite his anti-Jewish views, the engineer has a Hebrew tattoo on the inside of his right arm. The phrase reads 'gam ze yaavor' which roughly translates in English to 'This too shall pass'
Under federal migration laws, visas can be cancelled by the minister if the holder does not pass the 'good character' test.
Breaches can include committing criminal offences, associating with groups, organisations or people who have been or are involved with criminal conduct, or 'vilifying a segment' of, 'inciting discord' towards, or 'representing a danger' to the Australian community.
Visa holders are also warned, as part of their migration conditions, that cancellations may result in abrupt deportation.
'If we cancel or refuse your visa on character grounds you may have a limited time to depart Australia or no longer hold a valid visa,' the Home Affairs website reads.
When contacted about Gruter's claims, an Australia Border Force spokesperson said the department 'cannot comment on individual cases'.
'All non-citizens who wish to travel to, enter or remain in Australia must satisfy the requirements of the Migration Act 1958 (the Act) and the Migration Regulations 1994 (the Regulations), including identity, health, character and security requirements,' they said.
'The Australian Government is committed to protecting the Australian community from the risk of harm posed by non-citizens who engage in criminal conduct or behaviour of concern.
'Non-citizens who do not comply with their visa conditions, or who may pose a risk to the health and safety of the Australian community, can expect to have their visas considered for cancellation.'
The rally sparked a political firestorm as Australians demanded to know how it managed to be approved.
Supporters have frantically set up a fundraising page for Gruter in the wake of his visa being torn up, with donations so far exceeding $23,000.
Some donors have left comments reiterating Nazi rhetoric, including 'HH' (a National Socialist Network abbreviation of Heil Hitler) and 'stay strong white man'.
In announcing the government's ruling on Monday, Burke said: 'If you are on a visa, you are a guest.'
'If you're a citizen, you're a full member of the Australian family.'
'Like with any household, if a guest turns up to show hatred and wreck the household, they can be told it's time to go home.'
Confirming Gruter's detention on Tuesday, Burke said: '(We're) not only confident of our legal position, but also confident of the values of this country.'
'We are a decent, welcoming country, and the sort of hatred that was involved in that protest has nothing to do with Australia.'
The protest drew intense criticism, with NSW Premier Chris Minns branding those involved 'pissants' and flagging another tightening of protest laws in response.
Police said a communication error within the force meant some senior officers - including Commissioner Mal Lanyon - not being aware the protest was taking place.
Minns has since confirmed the government would aim to establish new laws to crack down on hate speech.
The NSN rallied outside NSW parliament in June, when participants wore black uniforms and displayed a banner with the words 'End Immigration'.
Numerous protests involving NSN members have been staged in capital cities and towns over the past couple of years. In September, members of the group marched at anti-immigration rallies in Sydney and Melbourne.
The fringe group has ramped up efforts to form a political party in an effort to creep into the mainstream, which would require 750 members to join the party to formally register.
Minns questioned if that would happen, given it would require those members to publicly associate their name with neo-Nazism.