Real Romper Stomper Andrew Kirby slams Sydney’s racist attacks

The reformed Neo Nazi who inspired the hit film Romper Stomper, Andrew Kirby, says gutless criminals behind a surge of anti-Semitic acts in Sydney will be haunted for the rest of their lives for spruiking hate.

Former neo Nazi Andrew Kirby who spent 27 years in jail at Zenith Beach. Andrew says Sydney vandals will regret it like he has. Picture: Adam Yip

The man whose racist violent rampage through Melbourne’s streets that inspired the hit film Romper Stomper, warns the gutless criminals behind a surge of anti-Semitic acts across Sydney will be haunted for the rest of their lives.

“Right now they are being led blindly by a few, like I was, and one day will have to live with the guilt that they have let down their families, their community and even themselves for spruiking hate for people just based on their beliefs,” Andrew Kirby said.

“Mark my words, I did 27 years in jail for rubbish like this, it will catch up with them.”

Kirby was 17 when he joined a skinhead gang in 1989 that gained international enormity after Russell Crowe starred in Geoffrey Wright’s hit film.

Former neo-Nazi Andrew Kirby who spent 27 years in jail says people who carry out racist attacks in their community will one day regret it. Picture: Adam Yip

It’s hard to fathom a man who cruised streets looking for people to bash and synagogues to firebomb, restaurants to burn down, can argue he is not anti-Semitic.

“I wasn’t. I was never racist in the first place. I joined a group to belong to something,” he said.

“They had a set of beliefs that are actually hypocritical and are disrespectful to even their own families who might have fought in World War II against the Germans but I went along.

“I am here to tell you anti-Semitism is for the weak and the gutless.”

Of his 27 years locked up at jails in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, Mr Kirby spent 18 years in solitary confinement.

“I was getting beaten every day by prison officers disgusted at what I had done. I was tortured and my mates, the ones with the big beliefs, they left me for dead. None of them stuck by me and I thought what am I doing? Why am I following this way of life? I’m rotting in a jail cell. So I started educating myself.

“What I have learnt over years is that everyone is entitled to a safe space to live side-by-side, instead of being terrorised.”

A Dover Height house the target of an attack. Picture: Max Mason-Huber

A Maroubra preschool was also targeted. Picture Thomas Lisson

He warned that the criminals who were “feeling tough for using big hateful words in running amok across Sydney” will have their conscience catch up with them.

“Their blind faith in warped minded racists won’t be rewarded,” he said.

“I was like them, I got 12 and a half years, then seven years, a range of big sentences back to back to back for god knows how many people I bashed, things I did all because I was a follower looking for acceptance. Here I was committing really bad attacks on people because I wanted to be tough and strong, not the person being badly bullied.”

Mr Kirby, who now lives in NSW, has been out of jail and out of trouble for six years. The Sydney unrest gives him chills.

Russell Crowe in the hit movie Romper Stomper that was inspired by the crimes of Andrew Kirby and his gang.

He warned that in the lead-up to Australia Day, the “halfwits” carrying out these crimes should be on guard and feared other community groups might retaliate and cause havoc “like what we saw” with the Cronulla Riots in 2005.

“I do fear for what’s going to happen because this multicultural society we live in now won’t tolerate this crap. The white people doing this are the minority now,” he said.

“The Muslims, the Christians, the people of all other religions in our society won’t tolerate this much longer. Before long we are going to be one big mixed race with a whole lot of beliefs and we should be celebrating that.

“My advice to the half wits doing this is educate yourself before you get to 30 and 40 and start to mature and realise what you are doing before it’s too late,” he said.

“Attacking people for their race or religion makes no sense and following like blind Freddy is shameful.”

Former neo-Nazi Andrew Kirby wishes he could have his time again. Picture: Adam Yip

Mr Kirby, who has helped teenagers break away from neo-Nazi groups, said “cultures are meant to be celebrated not torn down”.

“I carry that shame for what I did to innocent people every day,” he said.

“And what I did to my grandfather. He fought in World War II. He lost mates against the Germans and there I was, running amok in Melbourne, calling myself a Nazi.

“He saw all the big headlines about the ugliness of what I did when I was a teenager yet he supported me. To realise how much my actions would have been so hurtful to him is horrible. He must have been disgusted.”