Who are the alleged neo-Nazis who faced court after the Adelaide Australia Day march?
A deep dive has revealed more about the identities of the alleged neo-Nazis who faced court in Adelaide, including a self-described “whites-lover” and the group’s leader.
A deep dive has revealed more about the identities of the local and interstate alleged neo-Nazis who faced court on Monday.
Members of the group include prominent alleged neo-Nazis who have previously participated in a public Nazi salute, as well as a self described “whites-lover” council prospect.
The group also includes the NSN’s leader, far-right activist Thomas Sewell, who yelled “I am under arrest for celebrating Australia Day” as he was handcuffed.
On Sunday, SA Police arrested 15 men and one youth – all alleged to be members of the National Socialist Network – who were marching in the CBD in a purported “counter-protest”.
A further man was arrested on Tuesday after attending the court in support of his NSN colleagues.
The men, from SA, Victoria, NSW, Queensland, WA and Tasmania, were charged with offences ranging from carrying an item of disguise to using a Nazi symbol.
South Australia’s tough new anti Nazi symbol laws will be used for the first time against the Australia Day protesters over their public use of a group logo, which police say is extremist.
Seventeen arrests in total were made, all involving NSN members.
Here’s what we know about those men, as well as what happened in court.
Thomas Sewell
Age: 31
Home suburb: Wantirna South, Victoria
Charge: Loitering
Court outcome: Mr Sewell refused to sign any bail agreement that banned him from the Adelaide CBD and from communicating with other members of his group, saying he is suffering “outright political persecution”.
He was remanded in custody – unless he signs his bail agreement – until April.
The prominent neo-Nazi leader has already been convicted of violent crimes, including the public bashing of a Channel 9 security guard and attacking a group of hikers in a Victorian state park.
During his bail hearing, Mr Sewell was handcuffed and wearing the uniform of the National Socialist Network, including an armband bearing its symbol, the Arrow Cross.
That symbol, SA Police allege, is a Nazi insignia banned under the new laws - but Mr Sewell said he was not aware of any connection between it and the ideology.
Shannen George Bartel
Age: 24
Suburb: Brompton
Charge: Loitering
Court outcome: Mr Bartel was granted bail to return to court in March. He was banned from communicating with any NSN member, banned from possessing firearms, an article of disguise or returning to the Adelaide CBD.
In a video posted to Mr Bartel’s Instagram page, he is armed with a baseball bat and is heard saying “if I ever find any of you anti-fascists or aka antifa, this is what I’m going to do to you” before he swings the bat at a pipe.
Stephen Wells
Age: 56
Suburb: Broadwater, WA
Charge: Loitering
Court outcome: Mr Wells did not make a bail application and will appear in court again in March. He told the court he wanted to lodge “formal complaints” alleging “unlawful conduct” by SA Police including “kidnap, assault, withholding medical attention and deprivation of liberty”.
Mr Wells, who ran for City of Busselton council in 2023, has previously described himself as a “racist, sexist, democracy-scorning whites-lover”.
In an article written in Mr Wells’ name on the extremist website XYZ he encouraged people to run for councils, describing it as “the most illegitimate forms of government we have in Australia”.
In a video posted on the same website he said that “every single woman in parliament is a whore” and that “any race that has a high rate of criminality is going to have a high rate of homosexuality”.
Ethan Hendren
Age: 23
Home suburb: Wantirna South, Victoria
Charges: State false personal detail, hinder or resist police
Court outcome: Mr Hendren was granted supervised bail to reside where directed to return to court in March.
He was banned from communicating with any NSN member, banned from possessing firearms, an article of disguise or returning to the Adelaide CBD.
Mr Hendren is of the NSN members who participated in a public Nazi salute in Melbourne on the steps of the state’s parliament at the Posie Parker anti-trans rally in April last year.
On his Facebook page, he is pictured wearing necklaces bearing far-right symbols, including the Nazi swastika and a Mjölnir, a pagan symbol often adopted by neo Nazis.
Nathan Bull
Age: 23
Charge: Carry offensive weapon or article of disguise
Court outcome: Mr Bull was released on bail to return to court in March and was banned from communicating with any NSN member.
He was also banned from possessing firearms, an article of disguise or returning to the Adelaide CBD.
Mr Bull is another prominent alleged neo-Nazi who has been also been photographed performing a Nazi salute alongside Mr Hendren in the anti-trans rally, as well as at the Adelaide Holocaust Museum.
He also attended court as a supporter of Mr Sewell during his trial for attacking the security guard.
Matthew Pullen
Age: 31
Home suburb: Banora Point, NSW
Charges: Carry offensive weapon or article of disguise, refuse name and address
Court outcome: Mr Pullen was released on bail to return to court in March and was banned from communicating with any NSN member.
He was also banned from possessing firearms, an article of disguise or returning to the Adelaide CBD.
Alexander Zaslavsky
Age: 25
Address unknown
Charge: Carry offensive weapon or article of disguise
Court outcome: Mr Zaslavsky was released on bail to return to court in March after he said he intended to plead not guilty to the charges. He was banned from communicating with any NSN member, banned from possessing firearms, an article of disguise or returning to the Adelaide CBD.
Logan Boucher
Age: 25
Home suburb: Sandford, Tasmania
Charge: Loitering
Court outcome: Mr Boucher was released on bail to return to court in March and was banned from communicating with any NSN member.
He was also banned from possessing firearms, an article of disguise or returning to the Adelaide CBD.
Jacob Glen Cooper
Age: 29
Home suburb: Kingswood, NSW
Charge: Loitering
Court outcome: Mr Cooper was released on bail to return to court in March and was banned from communicating with any NSN member.
He was also banned from possessing firearms, an article of disguise or returning to the Adelaide CBD.
Richard Tinsley
Age: 36
Home suburb: Tarameo, Queensland
Charge: Loitering
Court outcome: Mr Cooper was released on bail to return to court in March and was banned from communicating with any NSN member.
He was also banned from possessing firearms, an article of disguise or returning to the Adelaide CBD.
Mason James Robbins
Age: 30
Home suburb: Clarkson, NSW
Charges: Carry offensive weapon or article of disguise, use Nazi symbol
Mr Robbins was released on bail to return to court in March and was banned from communicating with any NSN member.
He was also banned from possessing firearms, an article of disguise or returning to the Adelaide CBD.
James Allan Holliday
Age: 25
Home suburb: Marangaroo, WA
Charges: Carry offensive weapon or article of disguise, use Nazi symbol, give Nazi salute
Court outcome: Mr Holliday was released on bail to return to court in March and was banned from communicating with any NSN member.
He was also banned from possessing firearms, an article of disguise or returning to the Adelaide CBD.
Sean Roberts
Age: 21
Home suburb: Oatley, NSW
Charge: Loitering
Court outcome: Roberts pleaded guilty to loitering. He was convicted with no further penalty, given his time spent in custody.
Graham Connolly
Age: 41
Home suburb: Newcomb, Victoria
Charges: Hinder or resist police, loitering
Court outcome: Mr Connolly was released on bail to return to court in March and was banned from communicating with any NSN member.
He was also banned from possessing firearms, an article of disguise or returning to the Adelaide CBD.
Joel Davis
Age: 29
Home suburb: South Victoria
Charges: Two counts of displaying a Nazi symbol
Court outcome: Mr Davis was released on bail to return to court in March and was banned from communicating with any NSN member.
He was also banned from possessing firearms, an article of disguise or returning to the Adelaide CBD.
Mr Davis was arrested after attending the court in support of his NSN colleagues earlier on Tuesday.
A youth, 16, of Victoria, was granted bail to face the Youth Court in March, while Gavin Begbie, 58, of NSW, was also released on bail to face court at a later date.
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