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The faces behind the Reclaim Australia movement

As you watch Catherine Brennan dotingly and affectionately playing with her young daughter, it's hard to believe she is behind one of the most controversial and provocative anti-Islam movements in Australia.

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"I’m just an every day mum, living in the suburbs, doing the best job that I can for my family,' she told Sunday Night.


In their first ever Australian TV interview, the Sydney mum joined Reclaim Australia's co-founders Wanda Marsh and John Oliver on Sunday Night to explain how the movement was started by a trio of concerned mums and dads who interpreted the Martin Place Siege as an act of Islamic terrorism and wanted to protest against the 'spread of Islam' in Australia.

Little did they know Reclaim Australia would very quickly attract some of the most aggressive and persistent anti-Islam campaigners operating in the country - something that the 'naive' founders of the group admit they had no idea would escalate just as rapidly and strongly as it did.

Wanda Marsh, John Oliver and Catherine Brennan of Reclaim Australia
Wanda Marsh, John Oliver and Catherine Brennan of Reclaim Australia

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The Facebook group attracted more than 32,000 supporters but as soon as they took their message from the internet to the streets, it quickly turned violent.

"I picked up the computer looked on Facebook and realised there was people like Catherine and I thought 'I've got to be in this, I've got to help," landscape gardener and the group's second co-founder John Oliver told Sunday Night.

"I can't let my kids grow up in a country where kids are getting murdered in the streets. It's just not Australian."

Joining the mums and dads protesting Islam, Sharia Law and Halal in Australia was a group of nationalist agitators known as the United Patriots Front (UPF) and their former leader Sherman Burgess.

Oliver said they were there to provide 'protection' and exposure to like-minded Australians.

"Sherman and his friends thought it would be good to have a counter militant side and be a bit more hard line against these people and, I mean, we're just mums and dads," he said.



The counter protesters or 'left wingers' turned out to oppose the UPF's "racist" ideology.

Sherman’s group are vocal and deeply hostile toward Islam and as plans took shape for an Australia-wide rally, a storm was brewing in the ranks.

"I recruited a lot of patriots who come from backgrounds as body builders, ex-martial arts, one of our guys is an ex-cage fighter and we said we are going to get them on the front line," Burgess said.

"Not to start fights, but if they break through and they try to beat up women we will be there to cop the brunt of it so everyone can protest. We are younger, we can handle it better."

Sherman Burgess has since quit the UPF and deleted his website
Sherman Burgess has since quit the UPF and deleted his website

Another member of his group, Ralph Cerminara was formerly jailed for starting a brawl outside a Sydney Mosque.

"Look they can call me a racist all they want I just laugh at it now. It's ridiculous, Islam isn't a race," Cerminara told Sunday Night.

"Well yes I am a bigot. I am a bigot when it comes to Islam and I'm quite happy to say that"

Riots broke out at many of the rallies
Riots broke out at many of the rallies


And then there’s arguably the most provocative of all of them — Blair Cottrell.

"I believe Muslims or any immigrant person coming to this country should keep only one thing in mind that Australia does not need immigrants. Immigrants need Australia," Cottrell said.

"Get rid of [mosques], we don't need them we don't want them.

"Every single terrorist that has ever committed one of the 26 and a half thousand terrorist atrocities in the last 15 years — they've all got their radical teachings from a mosque."

Cottrell just last week released a video of he and three others watching on as a man in a mock Arabic headcovering cuts the head off the dummy following a short message. Photo: Facebook
Cottrell just last week released a video of he and three others watching on as a man in a mock Arabic headcovering cuts the head off the dummy following a short message. Photo: Facebook

All three founders consider themselves to be average Australians who have never been politically active, and never organised or participated in a big rally. Until now.

What unfolded was far more violent than the Reclaim Australia founders had ever imagined.

In Melbourne's Federation Square mounted police were brought in to control the crowd, counter-protesters set Australian flags alight, and capsicum spray was used as people turned violent.

Victoria Police were forced to flood into Federation Square in April as tensions between up to 3000 protesters from anti-Islam and anti-racism groups boiled over.

Protesters used loud speakers to incense their supporters before the event rapidly deteriorated into physical violence.

A woman is treated after being exposed to capsicum spray
A woman is treated after being exposed to capsicum spray

"We started our rally process, we got our permits from the council, we interlaced with the police - we did everything that we learned that we were supposed to do," Wanda said.

But as counter-protesters turned out to fight the movement, Catherine said the UPF proved to be a valuable addition.

"I think that we were all really naive as mums and dads to go, 'Oh we can go and hold our rallies and no one is going to counter protest," Catherine told reporter Alex Cullen.

"We didn't have that militant side, we needed that side that was going to be that little bit scary. Or the counter protesters would of kept going 'we're going to take you over' and then we wouldn't of had a voice," she said.



"I think it's wonderful.

"They are creating awareness, Whether it's the UPF, no matter what group it is, anyone who is out there creating awareness, it's what we want."

Member of the Socialist Allegiance Mel Gregson told Sunday Night they oppose the methods of groups like Reclaim Australia to divide Australia.

"Most of what they are saying doesn't make sense and most of what they are saying is lies."

Kuranda Seyfi Seyit from the Islamic Council of Victoria says Islam is misunderstood widely and what he has witnessed has been a fight between Australians, not Muslims.

"It is probably one of the most misunderstood religions in the world," he told Sunday Night.

"[Protesting] is a lose-lose situation... I saw Australian fighting Australian.

"A lot of young muslims are growing up in fear that they are not welcome in their country."

Despite all the hardline support and notoriety that has been associated with what Catherine started with two like-minded parents, she says she has no intention of slowing down.

"I liked my old life but we're not going anywhere. No regrets."