:Thomas Sewell (neo-Nazi)

Sewell was born {{circa|1993}} in New Zealand.{{cite news |last=Beazley |first=Jordyn |date=27 January 2024 |title=Albanese condemns actions of balaclava-clad neo-Nazis arrested by police after swarming Sydney train |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/jan/26/balaclava-clad-neo-nazis-held-by-police-after-swarming-sydney-train |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126222607/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/jan/26/balaclava-clad-neo-nazis-held-by-police-after-swarming-sydney-train |archive-date=26 January 2024 |access-date=27 January 2024 |work=The Guardian}}{{cite news|last=McGowan|first=Michael|title="Australian white nationalists reveal plans to recruit 'disgruntled, white male population'"|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/12/australian-white-nationalists-reveal-plans-to-recruit-disgruntled-white-male-population|work=The Guardian|date=12 November 2019|access-date=15 January 2024|archive-date=17 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117030741/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/12/australian-white-nationalists-reveal-plans-to-recruit-disgruntled-white-male-population|url-status=live}} He moved to Australia as a young child with his parents and older brother.{{cite news |last1=Hills |first1=Brenden |last2=Rose |first2=Anton |last3=Crittenden |first3=Madeline |date=2 February 2024 |title=Neo-Nazi boss Thomas Sewell was in business with Asian-born men |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/neonazi-boss-thomas-sewell-was-in-business-with-asianborn-men/news-story/2d3300b7be10da26aeef2e20b2a04b81 |url-access=subscription |access-date=28 October 2024 |work=The Daily Telegraph |language=en-AU |issn=1836-0203}} He attended Balwyn High School in Melbourne, Australia, graduating in 2010.{{cite news |last=Fox Koob |first=Simone |date=12 November 2023 |title=Why it's so hard to stop neo-Nazi public hate parades |url=https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/why-it-s-so-hard-to-stop-neo-nazi-public-hate-parades-20231102-p5eh2h.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203064513/https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/why-it-s-so-hard-to-stop-neo-nazi-public-hate-parades-20231102-p5eh2h.html |archive-date=3 February 2024 |access-date=12 November 2023 |work=The Age |language=en-AU}} Between 2012 and 2014, he was an Australian Army infantryman.{{cite news |last1=McKenzie |first1=Nick |last2=Tozer |first2=Joel |date=28 January 2021 |title=We do not need to wait for a Christchurch: Grampians cross burning spurs call for action |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/we-do-not-need-to-wait-for-a-christchurch-grampians-cross-burning-spurs-call-for-action-20210128-p56xer.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303144345/https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/we-do-not-need-to-wait-for-a-christchurch-grampians-cross-burning-spurs-call-for-action-20210128-p56xer.html |archive-date=3 March 2021 |access-date=2 March 2021 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald}}{{cite news |last1=McKenzie |first1=Nick |last2=Tozer |first2=Joel |title=Fears of neo-Nazis in military ranks after ex-soldier's passport cancelled |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/fears-of-neo-nazis-in-military-ranks-after-ex-soldier-s-passport-cancelled-20210820-p58khk.html |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=31 October 2024 |language=en-AU |date=22 August 2021}} He then studied civil engineering at Swinburne University of Technology, but left without graduating. Sewell had a fiancée who was pregnant in January 2023.{{cite news |agency=Australian Associated Press |date=12 January 2023 |title=Neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell avoids jail time over 'brutal' attack on Nine Network security guard |language=en-AU |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jan/12/neo-nazi-thomas-sewell-avoids-jail-time-over-brutal-attack-on-nine-network-security-guard |access-date=12 November 2023 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=20 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230120162955/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jan/12/neo-nazi-thomas-sewell-avoids-jail-time-over-brutal-attack-on-nine-network-security-guard |url-status=live }}

Between 2015 and 2017 Sewell was a member of Reclaim Australia and the United Patriots Front (UPF). The UPF split from Reclaim Australia around May 2015. In the UPF, Sewell was the second in command of Blair Cottrell, the founder of the group.{{cite journal |last=Richards |first=Imogen |date=2019 |title=A Dialectical Approach to Online Propaganda: Australia's United Patriots Front, Right-Wing Politics, and Islamic State |journal=Studies in Conflict & Terrorism |volume=42 |issue=1–2 |pages=48, 55 |doi=10.1080/1057610X.2018.1513691 |issn=1057-610X}} In late 2017, he and Cottrell founded the Lads Society, a now-defunct men's only far-right, white nationalist group that branded itself as a fitness group.Lads Society:

• {{cite news|title=Far right nationalists open private men-only clubs in Melbourne and Sydney|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-07/far-right-opens-men-only-clubs-in-melbourne-and-sydney/9836458|access-date=2 March 2021|work=ABC News|date=7 June 2018|archive-date=10 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410002343/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-07/far-right-opens-men-only-clubs-in-melbourne-and-sydney/9836458|url-status=live}}
• {{cite news|title=Who are the neo-Nazi groups threatening Australia's security?|url=https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2020/02/26/australia-neo-nazi/|access-date=2 March 2021|work=The New Daily|date=25 February 2020|archive-date=3 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303015901/https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2020/02/26/australia-neo-nazi/|url-status=live}}
• {{cite news |last=McGowan |first=Michael |date=11 November 2019 |title=Australian white nationalists reveal plans to recruit 'disgruntled, white male population' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/12/australian-white-nationalists-reveal-plans-to-recruit-disgruntled-white-male-population |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621051922/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/12/australian-white-nationalists-reveal-plans-to-recruit-disgruntled-white-male-population |archive-date=21 June 2022 |access-date=21 June 2022 |work=The Guardian}} Videos leaked to the press in November 2019 revealed Sewell's aim was to attract and recruit members from mainstream society using the pretense of a men's fitness club.{{cite book |last1=Petho-Kiss |first1=Katalin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KFP4EAAAQBAJ&dq=A+Fortified+Far+Right%3F:+Scrutinizing+the+Threat+Thomas+Sewell&pg=PT40 |title=A Fortified Far Right? Scrutinizing the Threat |last2=Gunaratna |first2=Rohan |date=31 May 2024 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781040024249 |pages=37, 94, 97 |language=en |via=Google Books}} According to Sewell, in 2017 he invited Brenton Tarrant (the perpetrator of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings) to join the Lads Society.{{Cite journal |last=Sullivan-Halpern |first=Jason J. |date=2020 |title=The Globalization of Hate: Are Domestic Terrorism Laws Sufficient to Quell New Threats from Alt-Right Lone-Wolf Extremists? |journal=Penn State Journal of Law and International Affairs |language=en |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=172 |issn=2168-7951}} Tarrant was then active in Facebook pages run by the Lads Society. Tarrant had praised the Lads Society's activism;{{cite journal |last=Roose |first=Josh |date=2024 |title=Countering Right-Wing Extremism in Australia: Key Challenges and the Role of Masculinity |journal=Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses |language=en |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=8 |jstor=48778661 |jstor-access=free}} Sewell later stated that Tarrant had refused to join as he did not see a peaceful solution to "European people being genocided".

Sewell founded the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network (NSN) in early 2021, and has since been its self-appointed leader.{{cite news |last1=Dillion |first1=Meagan |date=30 August 2022 |title=Accused supporter of Adelaide neo-Nazi movement Cameron Brodie-Hall applies for home detention bail |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-30/cameron-brodie-hall-applies-for-home-detention-bail/101388046 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124060921/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-30/cameron-brodie-hall-applies-for-home-detention-bail/101388046 |archive-date=24 January 2023 |access-date=31 January 2023 |work=ABC News}}{{cite news |date=2021 |title=The network |url=https://www.theage.com.au/interactive/2021/nazis/groups.html?resizable=true&v=2 |access-date=8 October 2024 |work=The Age |archive-date=8 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241008101122/https://www.theage.com.au/interactive/2021/nazis/groups.html?resizable=true&v=2 |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last1=Richards |first1=Imogen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NZDZEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Global+Heating+and+the+Australian+Far+Right%22+Thomas+Sewell&pg=PA97 |title=Global Heating and the Australian Far Right |last2=Brinn |first2=Gearóid |last3=Jones |first3=Callum |date=1 December 2023 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781032349800 |pages=74, 97, 100, 107, 215 |language=en |via=Google Books}} The NSN was established through a merger of the Lads Society and Antipodean Resistance. He is also the leader of the European Australian Movement (EAM), also established in 2021. In January 2021, over the Australia Day weekend, 38 members of EAM were photographed performing Nazi salutes next to Lake Bellfield at the foot of the Grampians in western Victoria. The group burnt a cross and chanted racist slogans at passers-by, including "White power" and Sieg Heil. The group's actions drew the attention of local police as well as intelligence officers from Victoria Police's Counter-Terrorism Command.

On 1 March 2021, the Australian TV program A Current Affair, a Nine Network program, broadcast a report on the NSN. An hour before it aired, Sewell and Jacob Hersant, a neo-Nazi associate of Sewell, arrived at Nine Network's Melbourne office demanding to speak to staff about the program. When a security guard, a black man, requested that they leave, Hersant said to the guard, "dance monkey, dance". The security guard was then repeatedly punched in the face and fell to the ground. Sewell continued to repeatedly hit the guard after he fell. When additional security came to the aid of the beaten man, Sewell and Hersant fled. The assault drew condemnation from Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews who called it "sickening".Security Guard:

• {{cite news |date=2 March 2021 |title=Premier condemns 'sickening' attack on Nine security guard |url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/neo-nazi-thomas-sewell-channel-nine-security-guard-a-current-affair-national-socialist-network/8fb00008-a864-4728-820b-e75f932306a1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302110614/https://www.9news.com.au/national/neo-nazi-thomas-sewell-channel-nine-security-guard-a-current-affair-national-socialist-network/8fb00008-a864-4728-820b-e75f932306a1 |archive-date=2 March 2021 |access-date=2 March 2021 |work=Nine News}}
• {{cite news |date=2 March 2021 |title=Neo-Nazi demanded to see journalists, allegedly bashed Channel Nine guard |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/neo-nazi-demanded-to-see-journalists-allegedly-bashed-channel-nine-guard-20210301-p576vw.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302092135/https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/neo-nazi-demanded-to-see-journalists-allegedly-bashed-channel-nine-guard-20210301-p576vw.html |archive-date=2 March 2021 |access-date=2 March 2021 |work=The Age |language=en-AU}}
• {{cite news|date=1 March 2021|title=Neo-Nazi leader allegedly assaults Channel 9 security guard|url=https://www.news.com.au/national/channel-9-security-guard-allegedly-assaulted-by-neonazi-leader/news-story/6f8a811a1b904f324e107e45b564c912|access-date=2 March 2021|work=News.com.au |language=en-AU|last1=Clench|first1=Sam|archive-date=3 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303005253/https://www.news.com.au/national/channel-9-security-guard-allegedly-assaulted-by-neonazi-leader/news-story/6f8a811a1b904f324e107e45b564c912|url-status=live}}
• {{cite news |last=McGowan |first=Michael |date=2 March 2021 |title=Neo-Nazi leader filmed repeatedly punching security guard at Channel Nine building |url=http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/mar/01/neo-nazi-leader-filmed-repeatedly-punching-security-guard-at-channel-nine-building |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302092157/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/mar/01/neo-nazi-leader-filmed-repeatedly-punching-security-guard-at-channel-nine-building |archive-date=2 March 2021 |access-date=2 March 2021 |work=The Guardian |language=en-AU}} Victoria Police's Counter-Terrorism Command charged Sewell with affray, recklessly causing injury and unlawful assault.{{cite news |last=Estcourt |first=David |date=3 March 2021 |title=Neo-Nazi group leader charged with assault of Channel Nine security guard |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/neo-nazi-group-leader-charged-over-alleged-assault-on-channel-nine-security-guard-20210303-p577c3.html |access-date=12 November 2023 |work=The Age |language=en-AU |archive-date=3 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303134124/https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/neo-nazi-group-leader-charged-over-alleged-assault-on-channel-nine-security-guard-20210303-p577c3.html |url-status=live }} In December 2022, he contested the charges in the Melbourne Magistrates Court, attending with several supporters, including Blair Cottrell. Other supporters watched the proceedings online.{{cite news |last1=Pearson |first1=Erin |last2=Abbott |first2=Lachlan |date=14 December 2022 |title=Thomas Sewell argues self-defence in alleged attack on TV security guard |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/thomas-sewell-argues-self-defence-in-alleged-attack-on-tv-security-guard-20221213-p5c5wm.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215025915/https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/thomas-sewell-argues-self-defence-in-alleged-attack-on-tv-security-guard-20221213-p5c5wm.html |archive-date=15 December 2022 |access-date=15 December 2022 |work=The Age |language=en-AU}} The following week, Sewell was found guilty of affray and recklessly causing injury.{{cite news |date=20 December 2022 |title=Neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell facing jail time over attack on Nine Network security guard |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/20/neo-nazi-thomas-sewell-facing-jail-time-over-attack-on-nine-network-security-guard |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105052659/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/20/neo-nazi-thomas-sewell-facing-jail-time-over-attack-on-nine-network-security-guard |archive-date=5 January 2023 |access-date=5 January 2023 |work=The Guardian |agency=Australian Associated Press}}{{cite news |last=Tran |first=Danny |date=20 December 2022 |title=White nationalist Thomas Sewell found guilty of assaulting security guard as his friend filmed |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-20/neo-nazi-one-punch-assault-guilty/101793010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105052711/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-20/neo-nazi-one-punch-assault-guilty/101793010 |archive-date=5 January 2023 |access-date=5 January 2023 |work=ABC News}} On 12 January 2023, he was sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order with 150 hours of community service.{{cite news |last=Morgan |first=Cassandra |date=12 January 2023 |title=Neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell avoids jail over brutal attack on a Nine security guard |url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/thomas-sewell-neonazi-has-avoided-time-behind-bars-over-a-brutal-attack-on-a-nine-network-security-guard/d4911ed5-e696-4d2e-98b7-c51c26bffdca |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115032748/https://www.9news.com.au/national/thomas-sewell-neonazi-has-avoided-time-behind-bars-over-a-brutal-attack-on-a-nine-network-security-guard/d4911ed5-e696-4d2e-98b7-c51c26bffdca |archive-date=15 January 2023 |access-date=20 January 2023 |work=Nine News}} After being sentenced, Sewell performed a Nazi salute outside the courtroom.{{cite news |last=Timms |first=Hugo |date=12 January 2023 |title=Neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell's vile act outside court after sentence for assault on Nine Network security guard |work=News.com.au |url=https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/neonazi-thomas-sewells-vile-act-outside-court-after-sentence-for-assault-on-nine-network-security-guard/news-story/ca6ea5e575a9a4c05623468af77d1fc2 |access-date=26 June 2023 |archive-date=6 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506011026/https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/neonazi-thomas-sewells-vile-act-outside-court-after-sentence-for-assault-on-nine-network-security-guard/news-story/ca6ea5e575a9a4c05623468af77d1fc2 |url-status=live }}

In May 2021, Sewell and up to 15 other masked men attacked hikers in Victoria's Cathedral Range.{{cite news |date=14 May 2021 |title=Australian neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell charged over alleged armed robbery |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-14/neo-nazi-thomas-sewell-arrested-melbourne/100140902 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514075033/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-14/neo-nazi-thomas-sewell-arrested-melbourne/100140902 |archive-date=14 May 2021 |access-date=15 January 2024 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}{{cite news |last=Sweeney |first=Karen |date=27 October 2023 |title=Neo-Nazi leaders spared further jail time over hiker attack |url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/neo-nazi-leaders-admit-melbourne-hiker-attack-but-claim-innocence/2e3893c2-1f81-4fea-8403-99b5ddcc617e |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027082106/https://www.9news.com.au/national/neo-nazi-leaders-admit-melbourne-hiker-attack-but-claim-innocence/2e3893c2-1f81-4fea-8403-99b5ddcc617e |archive-date=27 October 2023 |access-date=27 October 2023 |newspaper=Nine News |language=en-AU}} Sewell's blood was found inside the car of the attacked hikers.{{Cite news |last=McGowan |first=Michael |date=9 June 2021 |title=Neo-Nazi Tom Sewell denied bail over alleged Victoria state park attack |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/09/neo-nazi-tom-sewell-denied-bail-over-alleged-victoria-state-park-attack |access-date=15 November 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} On 14 May 2021, Sewell was charged after a raid by counter-terrorism police at a house in the Melbourne suburb of Rowville.{{cite news |last=Pearson |first=Erin |date=1 August 2023 |title=Neo-Nazi leader pleads guilty to attack on hikers |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/neo-nazi-leader-pleads-guilty-to-attack-on-hikers-20230801-p5dsxm.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802054833/https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/neo-nazi-leader-pleads-guilty-to-attack-on-hikers-20230801-p5dsxm.html |archive-date=2 August 2023 |access-date=2 August 2023 |work=The Age}} Sewell was charged with armed robbery, robbery, theft, criminal damage, affray with a face covering, affray, assault with a weapon, violent disorder, common law assault and committing an indictable offence while on bail. On 1 August 2023, Sewell and Jacob Hersant pleaded guilty to one charge of violent disorder. On 27 October 2023, Sewell was sentenced to one month and seven days in prison. As he had already served the sentence while on remand, he was spared further jail time.{{cite news |last=Silva |first=Kristian |date=27 October 2023 |title=Neo-Nazis walk free from court, spared further jail time over attack on Victorian hikers |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-27/neo-nazi-hiker-attack-thomas-sewell-jacob-hersant/103031582 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027032722/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-27/neo-nazi-hiker-attack-thomas-sewell-jacob-hersant/103031582 |archive-date=27 October 2023 |access-date=27 October 2023 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}

In August 2021, Nick McKenzie hosted a segment on 60 Minutes showcasing their investigation involving an undercover operative infiltrating the NSN.{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=804CxkmnxLY |title=Nazis Next Door |date=15 August 2021 |last=McKenzie |first=Nick |author-link=Nick McKenzie |last2=Tozer |first2=Joel |type=motion picture |series=60 Minutes |time=4:54, 7:00, 6:42, 7:10, 14:00, 15:40, 19:16, 23:20, 24:20, 32.39, 33:17, 35:41 |access-date=14 November 2021 |via=YouTube |archive-date=21 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021021002/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=804CxkmnxLY&t=1s |url-status=live }} In footage taken by the operative Sewell is heard stating that they were fighting for a white Australia and a global white revolution. During the segment Sewell is seen leading his members as they shout blood and honour, and perform Nazi salutes. At a later gathering Sewell and his members commemorate Adolf Hitler's birthday. McKenzie during the segment narrates that Sewell had a plan to build a white only base in rural Victoria, which Sewell states is their first goal. During part of the undercover footage, Sewell admits that during a previous police raid of his house that they found on his phone a meme celebrating Brenton Tarrant. Sewell goes on to state that he's opposed to Tarrant's jailing and that the NSN should fight for his release. Mike Burgess, chief of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), stated that NSN views were of concern, especially when it came to promoting acts of violence, and that they were getting ASIO's as well as other law enforcement agencies' full attention.

File:Thomas Sewell - anti-trans rally, March 2023.png

On 18 March 2023, Sewell attended a rally in Melbourne with 30 other neo-Nazis, including members of the NSN.{{cite news |last1=Fox Koobe |first1=Simone |last2=Eddie |first2=Rachel |date=19 March 2023 |title=Government may amend anti-vilification laws after neo-Nazis salute on Spring Street |work=The Age |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/government-may-amend-anti-vilification-laws-after-neo-nazis-salute-on-spring-street-20230319-p5ctbm.html |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=19 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319114338/https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/government-may-amend-anti-vilification-laws-after-neo-nazis-salute-on-spring-street-20230319-p5ctbm.html |url-status=live }} The rally was organised by British anti-trans activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull and Moira Deeming, while Keen-Minshull was visiting the city on her Australian and New Zealand tour.{{cite news |date=18 September 2024 |title=Ousted Liberal MP Moira Deeming takes to the stand in defamation trial |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/ousted-liberal-mp-moira-deeming-takes-to-the-stand-in-defamation-trial-20240918-p5kbo6.html |access-date=18 September 2024 |work=The Age |language=en-AU}} Sewell and other members of the NSN marched down Spring Street, performed Nazi salutes on the stairs of Parliament House and referred to transgender people as paedophiles. The neo-Nazis clashed with others who were protesting in support of transgender rights. Police, including mounted officers, attempted to separate the groups.{{cite news |date=18 March 2023 |title=Nazi salutes performed on steps of Victorian parliament as protesters clash over trans rights |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/nazi-salutes-performed-on-steps-of-victorian-parliament-as-protesters-clash-over-transgender-rights/yr7gzkevn |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318231604/https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/nazi-salutes-performed-on-steps-of-victorian-parliament-as-protesters-clash-over-transgender-rights/yr7gzkevn |archive-date=18 March 2023 |access-date=19 March 2023 |work=SBS News |agency=Australian Associated Press}} NSN's involvement in the rally was condemned by MPs from both the Labor Party,{{cite news |last1=Beazley |first1=Jordyn |last2=Readfearn |first2=Graham |date=18 March 2023 |title=Neo-Nazis and trans rights protesters clash in Melbourne |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2023/mar/18/australia-news-live-extreme-heat-total-fire-ban-victoria-nsw-south-australia-aukus-protest-china |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319003354/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2023/mar/18/australia-news-live-extreme-heat-total-fire-ban-victoria-nsw-south-australia-aukus-protest-china |archive-date=19 March 2023 |access-date=19 March 2023 |work=The Guardian}} and the Liberal Party.{{cite news |last=Cosoleto |first=Tara |date=18 March 2023 |title=Protesters clash in Melbourne over transgender rights |url=https://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/8126045/protesters-clash-in-melbourne-over-transgender-rights/?src=rss |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318123828/https://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/8126045/protesters-clash-in-melbourne-over-transgender-rights/?src=rss |archive-date=18 March 2023 |access-date=19 March 2023 |work=Daily Liberal}}

On Australia Day (26 January) 2024, Sewell and a group of NSN members were stopped and questioned by police in North Sydney. Sewell was served with a public order banning him from the city of Sydney local government area for the day, and from attending any events relating to Australia Day. Police told Sewell that the reasons for the order were his ideology, his associates, incidents he's been involved in, his criminal history and his goal of intimidating and provoking people.{{cite news |last1=Harris |first1=Perry |last2=Duffin |first2=Christopher |date=26 January 2024 |title=Neo-Nazis confronted by Sydney police, banned from Australia Day events |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/neo-nazis-confronted-by-sydney-police-banned-from-australia-day-events-20240126-p5f0bw.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127003724/https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/neo-nazis-confronted-by-sydney-police-banned-from-australia-day-events-20240126-p5f0bw.html |archive-date=27 January 2024 |access-date=26 January 2024 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en-AU}}

On 22 October 2024 Sewell and other NSN members attempted to disrupt a refugee rights protest outside of a Department of Home Affairs office. Following the NSN's counterprotest Sewell allegedly made comments online in which he attempted to intimidate a police officer.{{cite news |last=Branco |first=Jorge |date=7 November 2024 |title=Melbourne neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell after police 'day of action' |url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/melbourne-neo-nazi-thomas-sewell-charged-after-police-day-of-action/ed3d66cc-fcbc-45cc-8374-9912cd96376e |access-date=11 November 2024 |work=Nine News |language=en-AU}}{{cite news |last=Beatty |first=Liam |date=8 November 2024 |title=Prominent neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell complains about police harassment after Melbourne raids |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/prominent-neonazi-thomas-sewell-complains-about-police-harassment-after-melbourne-raids/news-story/b46b08d54d085f795f91d7d05d21f8b0 |access-date=10 November 2024 |work=The Australian}} In the alleged comments, Sewell stated that his followers had identified a Victoria police officer who had attempted to remove a mask from one of the neo-Nazis who had attended the counterprotest. Sewell said that the police officer had attempted to dox the member, and that they had downloaded content about the officer and their family from social media and were looking for a legal way to post it to the internet.{{cite news |last=Estcourt |first=David |last2=Lorigan |first2=Mike |last3=Thomas-Sam |first3=Alysia |date=13 November 2024 |title='Touch our kids, it's over': Neo-Nazi issues chilling warning to authorities |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-13/neo-nazi-issues-rise-in-rhetoric-threats-thomas-sewell/104585008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241113013151/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-13/neo-nazi-issues-rise-in-rhetoric-threats-thomas-sewell/104585008 |archive-date=13 November 2024 |access-date=13 November 2024 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}} In November 2024, Sewell was charged in relation to the alleged online comments after a police 'day of action' against the NSN.

On 26 January 2025, Australia Day, around 40 members of the NSN, most of whom who had travelled from outside of South Australia, marched through Adelaide city centre, dressed in black and wearing sunglasses and hats.{{cite web | last=Evans | first=Duncan | title=Alleged Australia Day neo-Nazis face Adelaide court | website=news | date=28 January 2025 | url=https://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/alleged-australia-day-national-socialist-network-neonazis-face-adelaide-court/news-story/45d55ae9c9bb446b3431d7d5a015f02c | access-date=28 January 2025}} Chanting "Australia for the white man", the NSN group stood in front of the War Memorial on North Terrace. South Australia Police arrested 16 people, including a 16-year-old boy, on charges including loitering and displaying Nazi symbols.{{cite web | title=Police arrest 16 neo-Nazis at far-right march in Adelaide | website=SBS News | date=27 January 2025 | url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/video/police-arrest-16-neo-nazis-at-far-right-march-in-adelaide/x3whk2rqr | access-date=28 January 2025}} Sewell and 13 other men appeared in court on 28 January, charged with a variety of offences. Police alleged that Sewell was wearing a Arrow Cross star which is linked to a Hungarian fascist party with Nazi associations. During the hearing Sewell stated that was not prepared agree to the bail conditions, which included a ban on associating or communicating with other neo-Nazis in the NSN. He claimed that he was the subject of political persecution and that if his home address was made public that journalists might “firebomb” his house. Sewell was remanded to custody after his refusal to agree to his bail conditions, later agreeing to them on 30 January 2025 and being released.{{Cite web |last=Maddison |first=Abe |date=28 January 2025 |title=Alleged neo-Nazi leader remanded in custody |url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/south-australia-alleged-neonazis-face-court-over-australia-day-march/4104b4e3-3251-4926-a7a4-d9aac9fa3a67 |access-date=30 January 2025 |website=Nine News |agency=Australian Associated Press}}{{Cite news |date=30 January 2025 |title=Neo-nazi leader Sewell freed after signing bail papers |url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-sa/national-socialist-network-neonazi-leader-thomas-sewell-freed-after-signing-bail-papers/news-story/9ad07376281dfdd265b78a84028495b0 |access-date=30 January 2025 |work=The Advertiser}}

Sewell is a neo-Nazi. He associates with other well-known neo-Nazis, including Neil Erikson who has also been a member of the UPF and the Lads Society.Associated:

• {{cite news |date=27 January 2021 |title=Neo-Nazis go bush: Grampians gathering highlights rise of Australia's far right |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/neo-nazis-go-bush-grampians-gathering-highlights-rise-of-australia-s-far-right-20210127-p56xbf.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303144350/https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/neo-nazis-go-bush-grampians-gathering-highlights-rise-of-australia-s-far-right-20210127-p56xbf.html |archive-date=3 March 2021 |access-date=2 March 2021 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald}}
• {{cite news |title=A Wake-Up Call: What's Being Done To Combat The Rise Of Far-Right Extremism |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/a-wake-up-call-what-s-being-done-to-combat-the-rise-of-far-right-extremism |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302075828/https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/a-wake-up-call-what-s-being-done-to-combat-the-rise-of-far-right-extremism |archive-date=2 March 2021 |access-date=2 March 2021 |work=SBS News}}
• {{cite news |date=15 January 2021 |title=How Australia's anti-terror regime has failed to rein in far-right extremists |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jan/16/how-australias-anti-terror-regime-has-failed-to-rein-in-far-right-extremists |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301231023/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jan/16/how-australias-anti-terror-regime-has-failed-to-rein-in-far-right-extremists |archive-date=1 March 2021 |access-date=2 March 2021 |work=The Guardian}}

Sewell is known for his violent promotion of National Socialism. The organisations that he leads promote white supremacy and far-right politics. They echo White genocide myths, claiming that white Australians are being "denigrated, attacked and replaced with foreigners". A leaked manual from Sewell's groups revealed how their members manipulate social media and journalists to gain publicity, amplify messaging and help them recruit new members. Sewell also appeals to "marginalized, underemployed young Australians in the fringes of society". In the leaked material Sewell has outlined plans to create "Anglo-European" enclaves in Australian cities. Sewell's stated goal was to encourage the "speed and ferocity of the decay" of society and to help foment a "race war" by exploiting issues raised by politicians. In August 2024, it was reported that Sewell was leading a cell of the Active Club in South Australia known as Croweater.{{efn|"Croweater is a popular Australian demonym for South Australian people.{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/newsradio/txt/s1381253.htm |first1=Kel|last1=Richards |work=ABC News |title=Wordwatch: Croweater|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050915013033/http://www.abc.net.au/newsradio/txt/s1381253.htm |archive-date=15 September 2005}}}} Active Clubs attempt to attract young men under the guise of "training in sport or physical combat and fraternity". Sewell was suspended from X in July 2024, but the Croweater page remains, featuring a photo of masked members carrying a banner reading "Australia for the white man".{{cite news |last=Jeuniewic |first=Lexie |date=3 August 2024 |title=Active Clubs and white supremacy groups targeting young men a 'threat to social cohesion' in Australia |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-03/active-clubs-white-supremecy-groups-targeting-men/104164174 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240802233342/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-03/active-clubs-white-supremecy-groups-targeting-men/104164174 |archive-date=2 August 2024 |access-date=3 August 2024 |work=ABC News}}

In an interview in 2019, Sewell was quoted as saying that he would see violence against minorities as an option "if the state continues its persecution of our people for wanting to preserve their culture and heritage". In a June 2024 podcast, Sewell falsely claimed that authorities in the United Kingdom had threatened to remove children from families because of their parent's political views. Sewell then said that he would commit acts of terrorism and encourage his followers to do likewise if the courts began ordering children to be removed from neo-Nazi parents. In the podcast, Sewell stated that "[w]e want a white Australia for our children so they have a home to live in in the future". When asked by ABC News if recommending violence was acceptable, he stated that "terrorising white Australians for their political beliefs" would result in an "irreversible chain of events". Kristy Campion, who studies Australian far-right extremism, stated that central to the NSN's worldview "is the belief that if they do not act, it will be their children who suffer". She stated that far-right terrorists have repeatedly justified violent acts on the basis of their children.

In 2025, Sewell posted a video of Elon Musk straight-arm gestures describing it as a "Donald Trump White Power moment".{{Cite web |date=January 23, 2025 |title=Did Elon Musk give a Nazi or Roman salute, and what's the difference? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/21/elon-musk-nazi-roman-salute-difference-trump-inauguration |website=The Guardian}}

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{{Commons category|Thomas Sewell}}

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{{Neo-Nazism}}

{{Politics of Australia}}

{{World topic|link_Canada=Far-right politics in Canada (disambiguation) |prefix = Far-right politics in | title= Far-right politics in the World |noredlinks=yes}}

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Category:Neo-Nazism in Australia

Category:1993 births

Category:Living people

Category:Australian Army soldiers

Category:Australian criminals

Category:Australian neo-Nazis

Category:Australian people convicted of assault

Category:Australian prisoners and detainees

Category:Prisoners and detainees of Victoria (state)

Category:Australian people of New Zealand descent

Category:New Zealand expatriates in Australia

Category:21st-century Australian criminals

Category:Activists from Melbourne

Category:Politics of Melbourne

Category:Neo-Nazi propagandists