White supremacist leader banned from Australia Day events

Supremacist leader Thomas Sewell was among dozens of balaclava-wearing neo-Nazis stopped by police on a Sydney train as they tried to stage a protest as ‘white Australians’.

Men dressed in black who were later detained by police on a train at North Sydney Station. Picture: Transport for NSW.

Police stopped dozens of ­balaclava-wearing and black-clad neo-Nazis on a Sydney train on Friday as they tried to enter the CBD to stage an Australia Day protest as “white Australians”.

The group of more than 60 men, led by white supremacist Thomas Sewell, head of the Melbourne-based National Socialist Network, was held on the train by police at North Sydney after earlier swarming Artarmon station further north, chanting and waving Australian flags.

Passengers were evacuated from the train, which was diverted to a siding at North Sydney where scores of police were waiting. Six people were arrested, with a further 55 issued Rail Infringement Notices for offensive behaviour.

Sewell and others in the group were served orders outside the station banning them from any Australia Day events in the city area.

A police officer told Sewell the ban was “based on your ideological links, including your associates, your previous attendance and ideologically motivated public order incidents, your criminal history of assaulting members of the public and your goal of intimidating and provoking people.”

Sewell was convicted of violent affray in Victoria last year after admitting to attacking a group of hikers in the Cathedral Range state park in May 2021 but was released after being sentenced to time already served in custody.

Melbourne neo-Nazi leaders Thomas Sewell and Jacob Hersant yelled “heil Hitler” as they avoided jail over an attack on hikers at the Cathedral Ranges State Park on May 8, 2021. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Liam Beatty

He posted a video to social media on Friday claiming the group was not planning on disrupting any other protests and telling police “we are not allowed to attend any Australia Day rally because of who we are”.

“Fundamentally, we’re proud white Australians and obviously Australia Day is under pretty serious attack at the moment by all institutions, media, government and education,” he said.

“As proud, white Australians we want to celebrate this day, but the police have come down to the station and detained us while we were in transit, legally and peacefully demonstrating, what we see as our right to celebrate Australia as free white Australians.”

In a statement, NSW Premier Chris Minns condemned the group. “Normal people don’t celebrate Australia Day with a balaclava on,” he said. “Due to great police work, millions of Aussies were able to celebrate and come together without a potentially ugly confrontation.

“There is absolutely no tolerance for this behaviour.”

Men dressed in black are detained by police on a train at North Sydney Station. Picture: Twitter/X

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin described the incident as “shocking … It is shocking to see a gang of neo-Nazis roaming freely through our streets”.

“The police were right to restrain them to prevent any possibility of violence. Ironically, they have much in common with the pro-Palestinian element that has latched on to Australia Day protests. They support fascism and violence. They want to destroy our country and are obsessed with anti-Jewish conspiracies.”

The National Socialist Network was formed from a union of the Lads Society and the Antipodean Resistance in 2020.