This photo of Nathan Paterson at the Reclaim Australia rally was shared widely at the weekend. Credit:Perry Duffin "I've seen people calling me a bogan, calling me a racist pig, all off one photo," Mr Paterson told the Newcastle Herald. "A woman on the radio called me a toothless, tattooed freak. "Well OK, great, if she wants to pay for me to get my tooth fixed then that's great, I'll shake her hand, because I'm in the waiting line to have it done." He insisted he was not racist, referring to his friendship with the Bangladeshi owner of the kebab shop that he frequents.

Mr Paterson said people shouldn't judge him by his appearance. Credit:Simone De Peak "I don't actually know his name, I call him Bangladesh, he's my mate from the gym," Mr Paterson said. The event in Cessnock was Mr Paterson's first Reclaim Australia rally, and John Oliver, Newcastle's chief Reclaim Australia organiser, said that while Mr Paterson was part of the group's support base, "he isn't representative of the vast majority of Reclaim supporters who are ordinary mums and dads". Nathan Paterson insists he is not racist. Credit:Simone De Peak Mr Paterson said the rally was a success, and he wanted to get involved in the movement "because I don't know what kind of country I'm leaving for my kids".

He believes he's one of a growing contingent of people who are "standing up" for "Australian values", and insists he "isn't a racist". "At the rally I was chanting 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi', which is something every Australian chants at sporting matches against other countries, so is every Australian a racist now?" he said. Although he says he has mostly laughed off the abuse he received online since his photo was published, some of it did "make me cranky" and he's frustrated at being labelled a racist without being able to tell his own story. After working in heavy industry for 15 years, including with BHP and Hydro in Kurri Kurri, Mr Paterson survives off a disability pension and lives with his sister in Glendale, a suburb of Lake Macquarie. He visits the gym twice a day to keep fit and is passionate about the distinctive tattoo work he has had inked on his skin, which includes the words "Not Guilty" on the right side of his head, which he says is "just a saying".

He has been trying to find Housing NSW accommodation for several months and has been told it could take more than 10 years to find the permanent two-bedroom home he would like to have so that the younger of his two sons can stay with him on weekends. It's that struggle that has led him to believe governments - whether local, state or federal - aren't doing enough to help "everyday Australians". "The government needs to start looking after its own people," he said. "Newcastle council want to let some of those 12,000 Syrian refugees come to settle here, but there isn't even any housing for Australian people." "They're all over in their countries blowing each other up, and they want to bring all that here. I say just leave them there."

There were two rallies held in Cessnock at weekend - one organised by Reclaim Australia, the other by Rally Against Racism. Rally Against Racism organiser Phillipa Parsons said Mr Paterson's views represented an "unfortunate misconception". "A lot of people are mixing up extremists, criminals, and the terrorist group ISIS [Islamic State] who hide behind one of the world's biggest religions, with moderate Muslims who just want to live in peace like every other Australian," she said. "[Mr Paterson] went to this racist rally, and now he's upset at being called racist, well he has to accept some personal responsibility." Mr Paterson said he was frustrated that people judged tattooed people on their appearance.

"People judge you just for the way you look, without knowing anything about you, which I think, that's not fair," he said. Newcastle Herald