Premier warns police have powers to unmask 'pathetic' neo-Nazis who may have been recruiting in Sydney

Chris Minns has slammed a group of balaclava-wearing neo-Nazis who gathered in a Sydney park as "absolutely pathetic", and threatened to expose them, while his police minister has warned the group may have been recruiting during their incursion into the NSW capital.

The New South Wales premier was speaking on Today this morning after 30 neo-Nazi National Socialist Network members gathered at Artarmon Reserve yesterday morning on the city's North Shore.

"I think most people the vast, vast majority of people that live in New South Wales at least think that they're absolutely pathetic," Minns said.

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He described the group's hard-right beliefs as "toxic" and a threat to Australia's culture.

"It's designed to rip apart the cohesive community that we have in New South Wales and in fact, in all of Australia," he said.

"I just think that we need to confront it head on, say to some of these young people who are considering joining it, you look ridiculous."

Many of the neo-Nazis who gathered at the Sydney park were from interstate, Minns said, and Police Minister Yasmin Catley said the group may have been on a recruiting mission – albeit one that was foiled by police.

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"The truth is that they may well be recruiting, but the reality is that the police's swift action ensured that they were not able to achieve their goal, and that was to spread their toxicity, to go into the city and to disrupt," she told a press conference this afternoon.

Minns warned that police had the power to rip off balaclavas warn by neo-Nazis and expose them.

"New South Wales Police are not going to be tolerant of this obnoxious and appalling behaviour by any stretch of the imagination, and the message to racists, particularly those from interstate, is that you're not welcome here."

The neo-Nazi group yesterday was served with a Public Safety Order prohibiting the members from entering further Sydney local government areas.

On Australia Day, last Friday, 61 members boarded a train from Artarmon carrying shields and a banner and allegedly chanted racist slogans.

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Catley said the potential threat of the group being violent was nullified by police.

"(Police) made sure that, when they were collected together on that train travelling, they weren't able to go into the city to disturb the peace or whatever it is that they wanted to do," she said.

"We know that they have been violent, so that did not occur."

The group was intercepted by police at North Sydney, where six people were arrested and dozens of infringements were issued. No charges were laid.