An anti-COVID vaccination protest and a T-shirt bearing a fascist slogan stirred controversy at the National Multicultural Festival in separate incidents on Saturday.
Festival organisers received three complaints by phone about a shirt worn by someone at a stall run by the Australian Croatian Club in Turner and the O'Connor Knights Football Club.
The slogan on the back of the shirt was used by the Ustashe, a Croatian fascist and ultranationalist group responsible for the death of more than 100,000 Serbs, Jews and Romani people in concentration camps during World War II.
An ACT government spokeswoman said the organisers sought to verify the reports.
"After some time, the person wearing the t-shirt was sighted by a festival volunteer, however when festival organisers reached the stand they could not locate the individual," the spokeswoman said.
"If the individual had been found, they would have been asked to stop wearing the shirt and offered a festival t-shirt if they did not have an alternative.
"The National Multicultural Festival is a non-political, non-aligned event, and celebrates the multicultural community and the contributions of its members and performers."
O'Connor Knights Football Club president Steve Radic would not comment on the complaints.
"I wasn't there. I can't comment," Mr Radic said.
The Australian Croatian Club was contacted for comment but did not respond before before deadline.
The O'Connor Knights caused controversy last year when the players and coaches were were unwittingly photographed along with a picture of Ante Pavelic, the Ustashe founder and the dictator of the Independent State of Croatia.
Separately, a group of people staging an anti-COVID vaccination protest in one of the grassed areas of City Walk were asked to leave the festival area on Saturday afternoon.
The government spokeswoman said the festival had been granted exclusive use of the site and protesters were not allowed for safety reasons.
"The group requested further information, including proof of the exclusive use arrangements, which was provided," the spokeswoman said.
"Following further discussion, the group packed up and peacefully left the site at approximately 2pm."
