A town on the outskirts of Melbourne has been rocked by the sight of two people wearing Halloween costumes resembling infamous white supremacistgarb.
The costumes were seen in Emerald, 44km southeast of the CBD, and other nearby towns on Saturday evening and a picture shared to a local community Facebook group.
Two people could be seen wearing white robes and pointed hooded masks appearing to resemble those associated with the US far-right hate network the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
“If you were in this costume and you belong to this page then you should be ashamed of yourself,” one local wrote in an anonymous post in the Facebook group.
“No one wants to see this and it’s completely inappropriate. Feel free to pack up and leave the area.”
Local Labor MP Daniela De Martino, the Member for Monbulk, told news.com.au, “This is abhorrent and offensive — it does not represent our community and has no place here. The KKK represents hate, racism and bigotry in its ugliest form. I condemn this in the strongest possible terms.”
It appears the image captured the unknown trick-or-treaters in front of the Emerald RSL on Memorial Ave sometime on Saturday. There is no suggestion of any links to the RSL club.
The sub-branch was holding its annual Halloween event on Saturday evening.
A local councillor confirmed multiple residents had contacted him to raise concerns about the costumes being worn in multiple communities in the area.
It is understood the issue will be raised at a Cardinia Shire Council briefing next week.
The post was flooded hundreds of comments after a screenshot was shared widely on X, and has since been deleted.
The picture has also been shared on social media chats run by far-right figures including a prominent Victorian neo-Nazi.
There is no suggestion the people depicted in the image subscribe to neo-Nazi ideologies.
When contacted on Sunday a Victoria Police spokesperson said they could not provide comment unless news.com.au confirmed a specific complaint had been made.
Laws banning Nazi symbols and gestures were introduced in the mid-2020s in Victoria, a state which has become a hub for Australia’s neo-Nazi movement.
The Victorian government also introduced new vilification offences last year targeting hate speech or conduct.
In 2025 neo-Nazi Jacob Hersant was charged over an incident on Halloween night in 2024 during which he wore a KKK outfit while he allegedly abused people outside a Bunnings in Port Melbourne.
He was charged with engaging in grossly offensive public conduct and conduct likely to incite serious contempt and the matter remains before the court.
The post Victorian residents outraged by KKK-style Halloween costumes appeared first on New York Post.
