Neighbours star and conspiracist leader Damien Richardson was recently found guilty of performing a salute indistinguishable from a Nazi salute in Victoria. The salute was performed at a gathering organised by the neo-fascist group the National Workers Alliance and attended by several neo-Nazis from the National Socialist Network, who actively engaged in friendly discussion with both Richardson and event organiser Matt Trihey.

In pre-sentencing hearings, we've particularly made note of two claims made by Richardson's defence: that he has suffered due to being associated publicly with Nazism, and that his salute had no underlying fascist motive – it was merely mocking the characterisation of him as having fascist leanings made in a recent article in The Age. In fact, Richardson's own grandfather fought the Nazis, so he couldn't possibly be sympathetic.

In much of the reporting on this matter, not much attention has been paid to what Richardson actually said.

Richardson's salute came in the context of describing an event he had attended in the Latrobe Valley.

The Age's reporting gives an idea of how this went:

After hitting the headlines for attending a self-declared “cooker” event in Rowville on Friday night, CBD can report the upper house member for Eastern Victoria then spoke at a rally held by Freedom Party candidate and former Neighbours actor Damien Richardson.

Heath stuck to the ostensible cause in her speech in Traralgon on Monday afternoon – the closure of the native logging industry and its impact on eastern Victoria.

But before welcoming her to the microphone, host Richardson warmed up the crowd with some racist conspiracies.

Saving the native logging, he reckoned, was a chance to fight back against “globalists” without scaring off potential allies with “all these ideas of the New World Order”.

“I’ll tell you who it’s a real war on – it’s a war on white working-class men,” he said to applause.

“That’s who they want to destroy, because they know, ultimately, they are the boys with the power ... to stand up to the process of deracinating who we are as Australians.”

If that word is new to you, Merriam-Webster tells us “deracinate” is to “remove the racial or ethnic characteristics or influences” from a place.

Richardson said: “God forbid you talk about it because they call you a racist. Well, call me it. I’m beyond caring.”

He also riffed about one day working out exactly what antisemitic conspiracist David Icke “meant by lizards” in his theory about a group of shape-shifting reptiles who secretly control the world. It’s been widely interpreted by the likes of the Anti-Defamation Commission that Icke is talking about Jews.

Richardson said he would go “much further” into such topics at an upcoming event which had been scheduled to take place on Thursday night in Sale, but had recently been postponed until September.

An early flyer for that event obtained by CBD said it would be “featuring guest speaker Renee Heath”, but her name was scrubbed out of later versions circulated online.

At the National Workers Alliance event, Richardson gives his own account of the Traralgon protest. He describes how he started talking about the logging industry, but while looking out into the crowd he realised there were larger issues he needed to address.

Richardson said:

Now I'm getting into dangerous territory because if I keep talking now. I'm going to say something that I potentially will regret, but I'm also thinking: this community seemed pretty fired up to win back their livelihood. It's actually an attack on – it's an existential attack on who they are. And you cannot have a timber industry that's unsustainable – because you grow some more trees if it's unsustainable, and you hold them back from logging and give it a certain amount, I mean, it just made it doesn't make any rational sense whatsoever. So I do get into this deeper territory, and I actually call out the collective identity of the people that have gathered before me, and I call them by who they are. That's basically a collective of white people. It's an attack on your white heritage and what you've done since you've arrived in this particular country. And they loved it. The crowd loved it. They went: Finally, someone's actually said it. They stopped pissing around, talking about Western culture, etc, they've actually nailed it to the wall, nailed it to the mast. And there's a girl there called Renee Heath, and she's the local Liberal member, and she's very happy I said it as well. You can see the smile on her face from ear to ear. She was also happy that she didn't say it. She was happy that someone else said it, but she was still reveling in it, in it actually having occurred.

We make no suggestion that far-Right Liberal MP Renee Heath actually reveled in Richardson's speech, merely that this was Richardson's perception.

Richardson then goes on to describe The Age's reporting (which we would note didn't actually liken him to Adolf Hitler, but simply described him sharing racist conspiracy theories):

Okay, so the next day The Age get involved. You know that lovely periodical you can get if you really are desperate for nothing else to do, The Age newspaper, get involved. They ring me up. They asked me for comment about the rally down in Traralgon. I have no comment, of course, I've got nothing to say them, because I know they're going to print whatever they want to print anyway. Even though I don't give them any comment, they still print what they were going to print anyway. And they liken me to Adolf Hitler. So if you want to have a look at it, it's an article. It's in last year's Age, about August last year. (Richardson does a Nazi salute) Yep, that guy. Am I allowed to do that? Am I gonna be fined now? I'm gonna go to jail for five years. Richardson did the salute. I mean, really? I mean, this is absurd. This is insane. It's crazy. It's so crazy you can't believe it's even happening, but you know what it does. You know what it does. It capitulates the support of the people in that group. It capitulates them. They're suddenly worried about being associated with Damien, knowing full well that Damien's got nothing to do with Adolf Hitler, but just the slur alone is enough to do the damage, and then the people start bitching about me and why I'm there in the first place, and how I'm making it about myself and blah-de-blah-de-blah.

And now their native timber industry is gone, because they actually had some traction. Were actually starting to fight back. We had a system. We're going to turn up at the Maribyrnong City Council at their very next meeting and we were going to come down with one logger who had apparently tried to take his own life, because that's the reality of what they're trying to do – actually kill us. So he's going to take his own life. We're going to go down with one log on his truck and his daughter next to him in the cabin, and we're going to video it. And we just need about 100 and 150 people there to make our own propaganda back at them. And that's why they want a misinformation, disinformation act as well. So the people no longer have the power to do that. We have to buy the corporate Main Street narrative. And it never happens. It never happens. I'm explaining it to these people in that last speech. That's what we're going to do. Then we're also going to turn up at the municipal councils next meeting. They were going to have in a, you know, in a in a hotel room. They were going to have it at the top of of Collins Street, and that day, we wanted to call on all the loggers from throughout the state to all turn up and park their trucks in Collins Street and become an absolute pain in the ass. So the people that are walking past are so pissed off, they actually say, why doesn't the government just do something about these people? Let them log or whatever? Because I want to go do my banking or go to work, whatever else they want to do pick their kids up from school. So that's the only way to win.

The only way to win is actually do something that is disruptive – of a disruptive nature, if we haven't learned that from our, you know, our Islamic brethren, I don't know when we'll ever learn it, but it's gone. The reality is it was defeated. It was defeated because of the 6 million, the 6 million, you know, the 6 million I'm talking about, that narrative that my grandfather fought in the Second 33rd – thought he was fighting against. Now his heir, the heir, his offspring, is being accused of that narrative, that narrative... I don't even know what necessarily happened in 1940s Germany. I don't need to know. That narrative needs to be destroyed, because that narrative is destroying us from having any political representation. (Neo-Nazis in the audience cheer) Whilst that narrative continues to exist, it stops us from getting any support from the system that we created. Make no mistake about it.

And you know what? All your parliamentarians know it. They all know it, and that's why they'll never mention it, because they will be, they'll be lost. Because Renee Heath got in touch with me the next day as well, and I'd done an interview with her two days hence that I was going to put on [Damien's website]. And she said, Damien, please don't print that. Please don't print it. Because instead of coming to my aid and saying, You've been vilified, and now let's make a stand here, because you've been vilified, and let's take these bastards from The Age to court because they have no right to say it about you, because you have done nothing to suggest that you are Adolf Hitler. No, she runs a mile like the coward she is, because the whole system is inhabited by cowards.

I had another point I was going to make, but I forgot because I got too excited. That's the point. Oh, this is the one I'll finish on. And this what happens is now, about a year later, Renee and the rest of the opposition benches of the Victorian State Parliament go to Israel. They go on a junket to Israel, a paid, expenses paid trip to Israel. Why is the local member for Gippsland being paid to go to Israel? But she can't stand up for me, and she comes back from Israel. She comes back from Israel, basically spruiking how terrible it was, October 7, how horrible it was, what happened to those people, and how we couldn't begin to understand what good and wonderful people they are. Now, they may well be good and wonderful people, but I want to know why the representative, why the representative of Gippsland cannot offer me any support, but can offer support for a group of people that live in a totally different jurisdiction in another part of the World, something is foul in Denmark, to quote The Bard, something stinks. Something stinks really badly. And it's ultimately that narrative that underpins everything, whatever you do, wherever you move, whatever you say.

We leave it to the reader to decide whether it's actually anti-Nazi to make the suggestion that white people can't organise because of a narrative that something happened to six million people (and it may or may not have happened). We spend a bit of time talking to anti-fascists and it's not an argument we've heard before.

Today, Saturday November 8 2025, NSW National Socialist Network (NSN) members held an antisemitic rally outside NSW Parliament House under the banner of “White Australia”. Their photographs have been generously forwarded to our team by members of the community, and although we have an impressive inventory of details already, we are now appealing for more information about these men.

For the purposes of this article we have only included the names already in the media – see relevant articles at the links beside their names.

Does one of them work at your workplace? Has one of them given you a haircut? Trained at your gym? In classes with you at school, TAFE or uni? A known gronk in your local music scene? We're particularly interested in those working with government contracts or the legal sphere, and with access to major infrastructure, but any tip-off, no matter how small, helps.

Individuals are numbered 1-60 for ease of communication. Help us out by sharing any verifiable information by securely dropping us a line at thewhiterosesociety@protonmail.com. We will protect your anonymity.

1

2 – Oscar Tuckfield – article

3

4 – Adam Carrig – article

5

6

7 – Jacob Cooper – article

8

9 – Martin Przybylek – article

10

11

12

13

14

15

16 – Christopher Carrig – article

17

18

19 – Matthew Gruter aka Matthew Grüter – article

20

21

22

23

24

25

26 – Christien James Mutton aka Christien Mutton – article

27

28 – Gabriel Seymour – article

29 – Jack Eltis – article

30 – Joel Davis – article

31 – Sean Roberts – article

32

33

34 – Alex Volvach aka Alexey Volvach – article

35

36

37

38

39

40 – Dean Alessi article

41

42

43 (note – refers to the man behind 42)

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52 – Cooper Stephens – article

53

54 – Alexander Gabriel 'Gabe' Mare – article

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On 6 September 2025 we revealed in The Age that Victorian dentist Ian Lomax is a member of the National Socialist Network.

Lomax previously practiced dentistry in New South Wales. We first saw him training at Elwood with the National Socialist Network in February this year, in footage taken by The Age:

White supremacist bootcamp takes over Elwood beach

Lomax has also featured on a National Socialist Network Telegram channel, in a training photograph for the Victorian Rural West chapter, alongside Hamish Cameron and Gus Hartigan:

Lomax attended the March for Australia rally in Melbourne on 31 August. Blair Cottrell badly blurred him in a video he published, attempting, “This man is a dentist so we can't show you his face on video. Morning Ian.”

We spotted Ian Lomax throughout the day on 31 August. He and some other National Socialist Network members were photographed at different points of the day wearing mouth guards, showing they came to the rally to participate in violence.

Photo: Lens of Compassion

Lomax at the March for Australia, wearing a white wristband that signals his membership of the National Socialist Network. “Patched” members wear either white or silver wristbands. Standing in the foreground are European Australian Movement and National Socialist Network leaders Thomas Sewell and Tim Lutze.

Photo: William West, AFP

Lomax actively participated in the neo-Nazi attack on Camp Sovereignty. Most of the victims of the neo-Nazis were women, including a school teacher. Ian has been training for street violence with the National Socialist Network, who believe they are preparing for race war.

We found him in the footage recorded during the attack, throwing a punch:

If you're concerned about Ian Lomax practicing dentistry, there is an official avenue to complain to the Dental Board of Australia, through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.

If you know Ian Lomax and have any helpful information to share, you can e-mail us securely at thewhiterosesociety@protonmail.com

We, as Nathan Bull’s family, are utterly devastated and remain in disbelief at his decision to join this group. From the very beginning, we made it clear that if he chose this path, we could no longer be an active part of his life. Sadly, that is the decision he made.

We are deeply concerned about the continued spread of misinformation and incorrect assumptions about our family. For clarity:

Nathan’s father has not been a member of Victoria Police for more than three years.

He is not “Luke Bull,” the officer charged and found guilty in relation to a separate matter last year.

He is in no way racist, nor did he have a negative influence on Nathan growing up.

We would also like to address a photo of Nathan shared publicly from his 21st birthday, where his father expressed pride in him. At that time, we had no knowledge of any association Nathan may have had with this group, nor any understanding of the meaning behind the T-shirt he wore. At that point, Nathan was working, engaged with his family, and we believed he was becoming a fine young man. Not long after, our trust in that belief was sadly shattered.

We respectfully ask the community and media to stop contacting us. I personally have received abusive phone calls today, including many from private numbers that I have not answered. This is deeply distressing.

We are embarrassed to see Nathan continually featured in the media and saddened by the possibility that he may never leave this group. His choices are his alone.

We hope this statement clears up some of the misinformation currently circulating, and that we can now be allowed to live our lives without harassment, due to the actions of someone who is no longer a part of our family.

Sincerely,

The Bull Family

You may have landed here because you want to talk about neo-Nazis without helping them. Excellent.

You have an important role in combatting the rise of these groups. You must remember at all times – however they present themselves – the underlying ideology of all neo-Nazis is murderous.

Remember: They are a cult that want journalists to help launder their image and legitimise their movement and beliefs.

Above all – don't be fooled

Neo-Nazis look “normal”. They have families, friends, work colleagues. They shop at the same places you do. They go to the gym. They go to university. They work on building sites and in offices. They have respectable careers. This isn't “Romper Stomper” – most do not have shaved heads, swastika tattoos and broken teeth.

Don't be fooled.

Remember: All neo-Nazis share the same murderous beliefs. They want an extremely conservative white-only Australia. Anyone else “must go,” a euphemism that oscillates between deportation and mass murder. Never lose sight of that.

1. Do not assist their media strategy.

Neo-Nazis have a simple strategy when it comes to media:

If they can't get an opportunity to appear in the media, they create one.

They perform public stunts to create opportunities. They confect outrage (singing “Waltzing Matilda” in Adelaide on Australia Day, pretending to be “regular blokes” getting kicked out of the Shrine of Remembrance etc).

They revel in and celebrate the attention they receive whether it is positive or negative. They do this because reporting on their actions almost always leads to more support for them. That's why you're here and that's why this guide exists.

The attention is all they are after.

That doesn't mean “Don't report on them.” It means “Don't do their dirty work for them.” The rest of this guide will show you how to best do that.

2. Ask yourself: what is the story they do not want me to tell?

The best way to answer this question is to ask “What is the story they do want me to tell?“, which are stories like:

• Scary black masked militants – this makes them look competent and scary
• “We represent fed-up mums and dads” – this legitimises their views
• “We're just everyday Australians”
• Their latest shocking pamphlet – this advertises their group, views and operations
• Their most recent stunt – this advertises their group, views and operations
• How the curious can contact them and join their group – mentioning their Telegram presence helps increase their membership
• Free speech issues (for the white man only) – this legitimises their views
• How to donate to their cause through crowdfunding

These groups are deeply invested in reputation management and “optics” and they want to recruit journalists to help them.

Neo-Nazis hate being embarrassed and made to look weak, so instead, tell these stories:

• Grooming of children and young adults under 18
• The role of women in their groups (vehicles for breeding, isolation from their families, financial coercion and other tell-tale signs of family violence)
• The wedge they drive between recruits and their families
• Their desire to marry minors (leader Joel Davis says marrying 14 year old girls should be legal)
• That despite the surge in media reporting on antisemitic incidents, neo-Nazis get very little coverage in the media
• Their cult-like structure and tendencies (membership fees, pledges, 'tiers' of membership, rituals, banning of certain behaviours)
• The ways their adherence to these beliefs and involvement in the movement negatively impacts their position and standing in their families, workplaces and wider community
• That there are credible threats of violence made by these groups
• That they have links to extremist groups overseas
• Quote their racist chants and comments from protests – display their actual rhetoric, not their polished media answers.
• Report on Jacob Hersant's father working for Israeli Defense Force contractors
• Report on them 'running away' at protests – make them look weak
• Report on police 'protecting them' from other groups at protests – make them look weak
• Report extensively on previous legal troubles by members
• Interview their parents – many of them are young and still live at home

Remember: These are not “One Nation”-era racists. They are not complete idiots. They aren't upset about “Cheer” cheese. They understand they can gain power and influence and are willing to exploit opportunities to do so. Do not help them.

3. Do not interview them.

We understand interviews are handy filler on tight deadlines and the desire to 'get the story from both sides' – but it actively makes things worse.

There is no gotcha. There is no smoking gun. There is no nuance. Even if you 'control the narrative', they still win. They will clip their interview and use it to generate more support and make themselves out to be heroes fighting against the “Jewish media”

They are well-practiced in making themselves look polished and reasonable. They couch their extremist ideas in 'acceptable' talking points around immigration and the like.

Remember: By interviewing them you are giving them a stage and a megaphone for their message. You can't win.

4. Blur their banners and their flags. Do not advertise for them. Recognise their euphemisms.

Ask your photogs to blur out banner messaging.

Do not report their presence on Telegram or other social media – it makes it easy for 'interested' parties to find and join their group.

Do not name the organisation if at all possible. Instead use generic names “right-wing extremist group”, “neo-Nazi organisation” etc.

When they say “Mass deportations now” they don't just mean recent migrants. They mean every one of their perceived enemies. When they say “Australia for the white man. Everyone else must go” – they don't mean on holiday. They mean 'by any means necessary up to and including death'.

5. Call a spade a spade

When it looks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, it's a duck.

Neo-Nazi and other right-wing groups realised they had more success when they minimise the “unpalatable” parts of their ideology. They may disavow Nazism and fascism, but they do not mean it. They may couch their 'ideas' in more palatable terms or with more palatable movements (ie they try to present themselves as being supportive of Australia's war dead) – but they are still the same murderous ideas at heart.

Call them what they are. Neo-Nazis. Right-wing extremists. Violent racists. Failures.

6. Do not denigrate anti-Nazi/anti-fascist responses.

There is no equivalence between neo-Nazis and anti-fascists. They are not 'two sides of the same coin'.

Virtually everything Australian journalists know about Nazi groups comes from anti-fascist researchers and organisers.

Anti-fascists have consistently shown up with limited resources to respond to these threats. They are groups and individuals helping Australians understand and identify the threat posed by neo-Nazis.

Despite being hung out to dry by the media on many occasions, anti-fascists continue to help the media. Support them, don't denigrate their efforts.

7. Do not look to laws and police as the (only) solutions

• Increasing police presence and enacting more laws is largely ineffective.
• Legislation is not agile enough to keep up in the digital age.
• Police are unable or unwilling to utilise laws already in place against these groups. New laws don't change that.

Symbols bans just cause these groups to find new symbols. For instance, while the Swastika is banned, the symbol the NSN use for their Victorian branch logo is a questionably-legal single lightning bolt, taken from the Nazi SS insignia, and the notched shield of the Waffen SS Panzer division. If that's banned, it will become something else.

Anti-hate laws are rarely prosecuted and if they are, it's for straight-forward cases. When cases do proceed to trial, the judicial system seems unaware of, or downplays the role of ideology as motivation for the crime. More laws aren't the answer. Court appearances serve as advertising for the groups, too.

De-radicalisation programs are under-funded, under-resourced and run by people who aren't qualified to run them. Parents are advised to report to the National Security Hotline, which takes a heavy handed approach. Police seem more interested in gaining intelligence from young members rather than helping them to escape their situation.

8. Community is the answer to neo-Nazi threats

Communities have the ability and responsibility to respond to neo-Nazis, but they need your help.

Talk about:

• The lack of resources available to families whose children have fallen prey to the grooming tactics of neo-Nazi groups
• The unclear pathways for people seeking help – current advice is to report to the “National Security Hotline”
• The lack of resources for communities in combatting neo-Nazi groups
• The impact of neo-Nazi groups on communities
• The imbalance in how some groups are demonised for 'antisemitism' while literal neo-Nazis pass by unscathed
• Identify and name the reasons fascism emerges – anti-immigration rhetoric from politicians, economic conditions, wishy-washy responses to racist behaviours etc
• Encourage targets to stand together. An anti-immigration stunt by neo-Nazis is also an anti-LGBTIQA+ stunt. It's also an antisemitic stunt. It's also an misogynistic stunt. It's also an anti-disability stunt.

9. Ensure safety

Your sources, their families and friends, may be victims and survivors of cultish reputation management. By speaking openly your sources chose courage over fear, but they are vulnerable to harassment campaigns and violent attacks. Make sure they are prepared appropriately.

You and your sources should:

• Consider your safety BEFORE things go too far along
• Lock down your social media accounts.
• Staying off social media after a publication goes live
• Plan for them to come for you and your identity (ie doxxing).
• Make sure everyone involved understands the risks
• Consider concealing identities. A 'pseudonym' is not enough.
• Have safety plans in place for all phases of your reporting:
  • Safe houses or a plan to 'get away' for a few weeks
  • Security details
  • Mental health support

Further resources:

Feel free to share this with your colleagues.

The White Rose Society welcomes inquiries from media and journalists and we encourage you to contact us if you need advice.

Whitney Phillips' 2018 report “The Oxygen of Amplification” examines how news media inadvertently amplifies extremist messages by reporting on them. Through interviews with journalists, the report reveals the struggle to balance informing the public with the risk of normalizing harmful ideologies. Phillips identifies “information laundering” tactics used to spread radical content and proposes “better practices” for journalists to minimize manipulation and harm. Ultimately, the report highlights the need for journalists to adapt their strategies in the evolving digital landscape to combat the spread of extremism.

Online Harassment Field Manual Whether you’re experiencing or witnessing online abuse, this Field Manual offers concrete strategies for how to defend yourself and others. We wrote this guidance with and for those disproportionately impacted by online abuse: writers, journalists, artists, and activists who identify as women, BIPOC, and/or LGBTQIA+. Whatever your identity or vocation, anyone active online will find useful tools and resources here for navigating online abuse and tightening digital safety.

On the 26th of January 2025, 17 people were arrested in Adelaide over a public stunt organised by members of the National Socialist Network (NSN).

We've provided a list of the 16 adult arrestees as an open call-out for any further detail you might be able to provide:

• Do you know one of them through work?
• The local shops?
• Are they mates with your mates?
• Did you go to school together?
• Anything else of interest no matter how big or small.

Help us by sharing any verifiable information by securely dropping us a line at thewhiterosesociety@protonmail.com. You'll remain anonymous.

The information we're providing here is not exhaustive and is only given as an identification aid. We've omitted some information we already possess, but don't let that deter you from sending us a tip. Suburbs listed below are retrieved from either court or police reports, and may not exactly reflect the person's home suburb.

There will be a follow-up to this piece in the near future, similarly seeking any community contributions of information on a range of NSN members and associates aside from those arrested in Adelaide on January 26. Please consider subscribing to our blog to get an email notification once this follow-up has been published.
1 – Shannen George Bartel 24, Brompton, SA (inner-north Adelaide)

Known bonehead (right-wing skinhead) in Adelaide. Has attended Adelaide NSN rallies in the past, however it is claimed that he is not a member.
2 – Gavin Begbie 58, Woodburn, NSW (Northern Rivers area)

Long-term neo-Nazi who runs the Woodburn Amateur Boxing Club (previously Hammer & Tongs Fitness out of the same business address.)
3 – Logan Boucher 25, Sandford, TAS

Also pictured being detained in Sydney on January 26, 2024.
4 – Nathan Bull 23, Sunbury, VIC

Often spotted barefoot in public. The son of a former Victoria Police officer.
5 – Graham Connolly 41, Newcomb, VIC (Geelong area)

Irish migrant with family still living in Ireland. He lives in the Geelong area but regularly travels to various locations across Melbourne.
6 – Jacob Glen Cooper 29, Kingswood, NSW (Penrith area)
7 – Joel Davis 29, Wantirna South VIC
8 – Ethan Hendren 23, Wantirna South, VIC

Allegedly in a long term relationship with a minor.
9 – James Allen Holliday 25, Marangaroo, WA
10 – Matthew Pullen 31, Banora Point, NSW (Northern Rivers/Tweed Shire area)

While Pullen's Banora Point address is within New South Wales, he is more directly associated with the Queensland NSN cell over the border.
11 – Mason James Robbins 30, Clarkson, WA
12 – Sean Roberts 21, Oatley, NSW (Hurstville area)

Easily recognisable in photos shared by the NSW branch of NSN, and is involved with the Sydney-based neo-Nazi graffiti crew Death Valley Collective (DVC). We have included a photo of Roberts with Blue of DVC riding on his shoulders to avoid confusion.
13 – Thomas Sewell 31, Wantirna South, VIC

Leader of the European Australian Movement, ostensibly the community-building arm of the National Socialist Network. Works in construction for an associate of the organisation.
14 – Richard Tinsley 36, Taromeo, QLD (South Burnett region)
15 – Stephen Wells 56, Broadwater, WA (Busselton area)

Local council candidate for Busselton, WA. He claims to not be a national socialist but regularly promotes the National Socialist Network and shares their extreme views on minorities.
16 – Alexander Zaslavsky 25, address unknown

tl;dr: Racist bigot who pals around with neo-Nazis is a well-connected Victorian Liberal Party member who stood for local council elections as an independent.

Ex Victorian Liberal Party parliamentarian Moira Deeming has told the court over the past few weeks that she has no association with the far-Right whatsoever – we're not quite sure that's true. Join us as we pull the thread on one Deeming ally with dubious connections.

Content Warning: Extreme anti-Indigenous racism, antisemitism, transphobia, homophobia.

After the champagne had all been drunk, the neo-Nazis who accepted the invitation to join UK visitor Posie Parker AKA Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull's protest on the steps of the Victorian parliament in March 2023 must have had mixed feelings. On the one hand, they were enormously chuffed that such a small action had garnered them so much attention. Front pages, on TV, radio, discussed by every media company and on every platform. On the other, the reality that even their proximate presence was enough to scuttle a career was settling in – and did not bode well for the future of their political project. A few days after the Let Women Speak rally, they gathered on far-Right streaming platform Rumble to share their thoughts.

It was here that Australian style icon and cataloguer of transphobic nonsense Pauline Pantsdown made note of a most curious interaction.

Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has a history of Islamophobia, so it’s not surprising that her supporters would hate Muslims.

Pantsdown then follows this with another observation.

The phenomenon on display here is part of a well-established pattern where people think they can ally with neo-Nazis on one particular issue only to discover that if you are not a straight white male, you’ll always be lesser.

On this occasion, however, Pantsdown received an odd response. The person behind the IStandWithMoiraDeeming account jumped into their replies from an account called Victoria Says No to challenge the accusation of naivety:

This got us wondering – just how closely did Victoria Says No actually stand with Moira Deeming?

Victoria Says No.

First of all, Victoria Says No has made a few replies to Deeming.

In June of 2023, they post a very familiar reply:

In July of 2023, while replying to ‘Moi’, they refer to themselves as a fellow “extremist” woman in the party.

In May of 2024 they complained to Deeming about how long it takes them to get from their work at the World Trade Centre building in Melbourne to Exhibition Street (and all of the Asian fast food they are forced to go past):

Deeming agrees that it’s atrocious:

Moira Deeming is not the only person that Victoria Says No replies to.

In this tweet from July 2023, they are chastising National Socialist Network member Jimeone Roberts for “begging for shekels” through a GiveSendGo fundraiser. Roberts was convicted in August of 2022 after he affixed swastika stickers to the offices of Jewish MP David Southwick.

It seems that their relationship with Roberts must have soured. Back in August of 2022, they tweeted that they had actually donated to one of Roberts’ fundraisers themselves:

Roberts found himself having an extended nap after a night out on the town spending money extorted from The Irish Times pub went south.

Like Roberts, MP Tim Smith has also had issues with his licence, but this was not what Victoria Says No wished to discuss with him in July of 2022.

In May of 2024 they reply to a terrible meme from neo-Nazi Daniel Seery-Walker.

As exposed by the ABC, Walker was a key propagandist for the neo-Nazi contingent of the No campaign against the Voice For Parliament.

Victoria Says No also seems to have had some involvement in the No campaign. In October 2023 they tweet that they are in charge of coordinating No volunteers in an electorate in South-East Melbourne.

The reason for this involvement is made clear in other tweets – they’re very concerned about the Aboriginal takeover of Australia via Welcome To Country ceremonies.

In another tweet she says that her colleagues in the water sector were shocked by recent changes to Indigenous management of water in Victoria.

They’re definitely not a fan of Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

And also not a huge fan of us (what did we do?!) – as seen in this reply to neo-Nazi Tom Sewell.

A number of their recent replies are to a now-suspended account which belonged to Victorian Proud Boy leader Jon Field, also known as OzRocka.

They complain about technical issues in a Twitter Space:

They link to a lecture by infamous Australian antisemite Eric Butler:

And they link to the Facebook page of a council campaign by Liberal Party activist Louise Black.

Unfortunately Jon Field’s Twitter account has been suspended (no mean feat on Elon Musk’s X) so we can’t see why Victoria Says No was promoting Louise to him, but we thought it might be worth looking into.

So who is Louise Black?

Louise recently ran as a candidate in the Victorian council elections, contesting the Melaleuca ward in the City of Kingston, in Melbourne’s South-East.

In her response to an Age survey, she described herself as being a current member of the Liberal Party.

Louise has recently locked down her personal Facebook, but before she did we were able to glean a number of interests from her Facebook activity.

She is very involved in animal rescue – with a particular fondness for bats and flying foxes.

Louise campaigned strongly against The Voice – even adminning a Facebook group (also recently removed) called The Truth About The Voice alongside fellow Black Rock Liberal branch member David Frauman and Freedom Party candidate Greg Cheesman.

She is Facebook friends with Proud Boys leader Jon Field, who has liked some of her posts, including this posting of a One Nation video on October 18 2024.

And she is friends with Moira Deeming, having stood with her at the Let Women Speak rally.

On July 29, 2023, Moira Deeming and Peta Credlin held an event celebrating Liberal Values at the Mercure Hotel in Caroline Springs, where members of the party could rub shoulders with such esteemed politicians as Alex Antic, Sarah Henderson and Claire Chandler.

In attendance was one Louise Black.

Not only did she attend, but in one Facebook comment she takes credit for the stunning decor.

There are definitely some points in common between Louise Black and Victoria Says No – but we wondered if there might be more.

We discovered that Louise Black is employed by a well-known business in the water sector, which is owned by her father. This year they moved into their new offices in the World Trade Centre building in Melbourne.

In one Facebook comment discussing the Suburban Rail Link, she mentions that her work takes her to the Mallee.

And until recently, Louise Black was the admin of a Facebook group called Dan Andrews Must Go. A Facebook group whose original name was Victorians Say No. Although this Facebook Group is now gone, the accompanying Facebook Page still remains. The most recent post is a link to a song called Hey There Australia by the musical artist White Flight.

Oh, you say it's for the greater good, but what about our neighbourhood, our traditions and values pushed aside in our own land? We're feeling tonight. Oh, it's what they've done to our homeland. They've allowed the replacement. It's hard to understand

The YouTube page for White Flight instructs the reader on who they should contact if they want to hear a live performance of this ode to the Great Replacement conspiracy theory: L Black.

During her run for council, Louise Black received a strong endorsement from conspiracist activist Joel Jammal’s Turning Point Australia. She explained why in a Facebook comment.

On Twitter, Victoria Says No had also made reference to the so-called Freedom Movement.

In the comment here, ‘Haz’ refers to Harrison McLean, the Melbourne anti-lockdown protest organiser whose involvement in antisemitic Telegram chats was exposed by us with The Guardian in 2021.

It seemed likely that if we were to take a look on Telegram, we might find some trace of Louise Black.

Down the bat hole.

We didn’t have to look far.

In our archives of Harrison McLean’s Melbourne Freedom Rally chat, we found a user with the handle ‘Batw0m’ and the screen name ‘Louise B’ who posted several links to Louise Black’s Victorians Say No/Dan Andrews Must Go Facebook group, and also made reference to a history of animal activism.

Batw0m posted in the MFR chat in the second half of 2021, sometimes live from protests, like these posts on August 21:

Whoevers down at flinders intersection, the people who are throwing the bottles and flares for the love of god everyone take as many photos as you can of them and pm them to me, they are not protesters they are cfmeu members there to agitate I’m being serious they are plants I’ve just seen on the live footage two I know to be. I’m walking down there now but start taking photos now cos they’ll agitate and provoke the cops then will move off when PORT start responding Or someone keep an eye on them and follow them when they move out We need photos of this cos mark my words this is going to be used as the justification for stage 4 Forget about PORT. Get photos of the people who threw the glass bottles and are instigating They won’t be faces anyone recognises I’ll expose the ids when as cfmeu organisers I just need photos of their faces doing shit my legs can’t carry me any faster down there FORGET ABOUT THE POLICE FOR A SECOND, just get those people throwing the missiles and provoking then follow them Please This is a ppo/vth engineered setup and they’re going to get away with it if someone doesn’t frigging listen ffs and start taking photos of them Whatever then, let them manipulate you all like a bunch of pawns instead of exposing them for who they are

Some might suggest that the idea that Daniel Andrew’s Private Office (PPO) and Victorian Trades Hall had engaged CFMEU agent provocateurs to bring in Stage 4 lockdown restrictions smacks of conspiracy theory, but many of Batw0m’s other contributions to the MFR chat were criticising the other participants for their own conspiracy theories. In particular, she felt that the movement would do better if they moved away from subjects like vaccines and paedophile rings, and concentrated on more grounded and concrete demands. She was also unimpressed with the movement taking orders from Freemason-obsessed Karen Brewer, who – from her safe haven in New Zealand – was instructing people in Australia to protest outside empty government buildings.

This attitude didn’t win her many friends.

We also found another Telegram account which claimed responsibility for the Victoria Says No Twitter account. The following exchange took place in the Telegram chat of Margo Huss, a Christian fascist who is perhaps best known for accompanying neo-Nazi Neil Erikson when he invaded an LGBT-friendly church.

This account, Eerie Eerukandji, had used a number of profile pictures on Telegram.

The most recent one was of a blonde woman with a ponytail tending to a bat.

Another was a manipulated image of Indigenous activist Marcia Langton.

And yet another was a picture of a flying fox pulling at a woman’s blonde hair.

Another name used by this Telegram account was Batwaff3n, a reference to the Waffen-SS, the military branch of the Nazi Schutzstaffel.

One of this account’s contributions is the creation of racist & antisemitic wildlife-themed Telegram sticker packs.

These Telegram stickers are all in breach of the Australian Federal government’s anti-swastika legislation.

Between August of 2023 and June of 2024, this account made over 22,000 comments in the Telegram chat of Brisbane-based neo-Nazi Daniel Seery-Walker. They also commented in other chats belonging to Young Liberal turned neo-Nazi Stefan Eracleous and Proud Boy Tim Wilms.

In June 2024, this account abruptly stops posting – only for a new account called Batwoman to take its place. As Batwoman, they explain that they lost access to their old account.

This Batwoman account has posted nearly 3000 comments in Daniel Walker’s chat since June.

You might be wondering how anyone finds the time.

Multi-tasking.

On August 22, 2024, Batwoman posted live from a cultural induction she was supposed to be attending for a pump substation in a lake.

In 2022, Louise made a chaotic appearance on the podcast of American neo-Nazi Jovi Val as ‘Batwaffen’ to discuss her involvement in organising anti-Andrews ‘Kill The Bill’ rallies using the Dan Andrews Must Go Facebook group.

When some trolls joined the call and accused her of a romantic entanglement with fellow ex Young Liberal-turned-NSN “treasurer” Stefan Eracleous, she explained that she didn’t have time to discuss such matters because she was doing the podcast from her desk at work.

Her work in the water sector would come up frequently in the chats – as would her racist and conspiratorial disdain for the Indigenous people she was forced to interact with.

In this screenshot, Telegram user ‘FreshFire’ (former Queensland Lads Society leader Grant Fuller) scolds Louise for posting so loosely when it wasn’t ‘Fedpost Friday’ – the day of the week when the chat let their hair down.

In these posts, GWM refers to Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water, the state government-owned water corporation with which Louise Black's family business has a number of contracts.

This hatred of Indigenous people wasn’t limited to her work:

We found the Facebook post in question posted by Louise Black in an animal rescue group.

Another frequent topic of discussion was her involvement in the No campaign against an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Louise made a number of references to working on material directly for Advance Australia, the conservative propaganda outfit – though at times her content was knocked back for being too edgy.

Another video Louise made featured a compilation of Marcia Langton clips describing the racism coming from some corners of the No camp (a corner which fully included Louise!). In one chat, Louise complained that another neo-Nazi Telegram channel had posted it without crediting her.

Louise posted the same video on Facebook on the same day:

As the campaign reached its end, stress began to set in.

The day of the Referendum doesn't start well for Louise.

But thankfully for Louise, racism wins the day.

Those complaints about absent vainglorious ‘tough white men’ are references to the National Socialist Network, with whom Louise has had an evolving relationship.

Frenemies.

In 2022, while talking to Jovi Val, discussion turned to the NSN, who had recently performed Nazi salutes in balaclavas at a children’s library event, terrifying attendees.

“The right is generally very peaceful. I've never seen any of them like, you know, they stood there and they held up banners … They, you know, might have chucked out a Roman but, you know, they didn't, they weren't aggressive. They weren't going up to the families or the children or even the performer and being threatening in any way. They were just, you know, stood back, you know, there was a couple of policemen in front of them, and they just, you know, chanted their piece, held up their banners, and then they folded them up and went home. And that's generally how, you know, the right here, or NSN, that's how they protest these, you know, there's never been like violent counter protests that I've seen, but I have seen, you know, violent counter protests from the left against, you know, some of our protests, the freedom like rally protests. So I think people have got this perception through the media, and it's been a very deliberate crafting, or almost, almost a demonization of them.”

At this point NSN leader Tom Sewell was facing charges in relation to a brutal assault on a black security guard at Channel Nine, as well as an incident in which he and balaclava-clad thugs had threatened hikers with knives.

In early March 2023, all was rosy as Louise joined NSN member Stefan Eracleous’ Telegram chat to share her thoughts on the state of the Liberal Party…

And to give the boys from the NSN a spot of friendly legal advice about Victoria’s then impending swastika ban:

Even on the day of Moira Deeming’s ill-fated Let Women Speak rally, all was well:

The next day however, as her friend Moira Deeming found herself in the spotlight, Louise had a few criticisms to make…

This goes on and on…

In June of 2023, we found Louise complaining about the NSN in a Proud Boys chat with OzRocka (Jon Field) and other Melbourne Proud Boys.

Still, Louise Black’s relationship with the organisation had sufficiently thawed by the time anti-fascist influencer Tom Tanuki had produced a video highlighting the National Socialist Network’s internal paedophile problems that she was willing to put NSN SA leader Cameron Brodie-Hall into contact with a KC specialising in defamation.

August 2024 saw some friendly banter between Louise and members of the NSN, such as ‘Splatteus’:

Still, despite posting over 25,000 messages in neo-Nazi Telegram chats, some banter might still be a bit spicy. Around the same time that Louise Black was cleaning up her Facebook footprint, Batwoman quietly deleted a small handful of messages she had posted on October 2nd 2024 about discussing Andrew Deeming’s council campaign with Moira Deeming.

As Louise’s council bid reached the pointy end, she was even willing to let NSN members hand out how-to-vote cards for her.

We found other examples of Louise Black bragging about her Liberal Party connections within far-Right Telegram chats.

On July 29 2023, she referred to Moira Deeming’s Liberal Values fundraiser as ‘her event’ in the chat of Proud Boy Tim Wilms.

Back in Daniel Walker’s chat, we found her asking neo-Nazis for poster ideas for Robbie Beaton’s election campaign. Her only caveat: try not to be insanely antisemitic. Arthur Calwell (NSN member Jack Darren Bell) had a few ideas.

In May of 2024, Louise shared her thoughts on the status of women in the Liberal Party (and a familiar Exhibition Street traffic gripe):

Conclusion.

We find it telling that, while Louise Black has been shut out of a number of extremist groups—due to her habit of spitting the dummy when her unsolicited advice is ignored—the one organisation which hasn’t seen fit to show her the door is the Victorian Liberal Party.

There are many good reasons to be opposed to the National Socialist Network – that they were rude to you in one of the number of neo-Nazi chatrooms you regularly hang out in is not one of them.

(And Mark Dreyfus might want to check that the batteries in his palm tree CCTV are charged up.)

Excerpt from our submission to the Senate inquiry Right wing extremist movements in Australia.

On July 24, 2024, at the Senate Committee investigating right wing extremist movements in Australia, practitioners from the Counter Extremism Project presented an embarrassingly incorrect account of the state of the Australian extreme right landscape, particularly concerning Active Clubs.

This highlights a key problem with the Countering Violent Extremism industrial complex—individuals who have spent the past twenty years focusing on the Islamophobic war on terror often lack substantial knowledge about the extreme right. Despite this, they are positioned as experts while chasing grant money into the right-wing space.

The White Rose Society had previously provided a submission to this inquiry, detailing the recent history, organisational strategy, and capacity of the extreme right, including their international connections and the role of the Active Club model in Australian neo-Nazism. We intended our submission to be made available publicly. Our submission was accepted only on a confidential basis due to 'adverse commentary' about the groups MyPlace, Christian Lives Matter and the Australian Natives Association, and it appears that the information provided has not been taken on board by legislators or authorities responsible for addressing the extreme right.

The misinformation presented at the Inquiry, particularly the false claim that the Active Club model is not present in Australia, with the exception of a “recent” South Australian “failed” attempt, has already permeated the broader media landscape. In response, we have decided to publish a small, updated section of our submission on our blog. This excerpt addresses the place of Active Clubs in global neo-Nazi and accelerationist political strategy, emphasising Australia's role and contributions to its success. By sticking to arbitrary strict definitions of “Active Club,” the true adaptability and success of the model are obscured, as our submission demonstrates. We hope this publication will provide clarity to those curious about the actual state of the far-right and Active Clubs in Australia.

Content warning: includes extreme references to racist hatred and sexual violence.

The European Australian Movement/National Socialist Network

The Active Club Model

The Active Club model was founded by Robert Rundo, an American neo-Nazi activist who was the leader of the Rise Above Movement, a violent neo-Nazi street gang. Rundo went on to found Will2Rise, which sells merchandise, publishes propaganda, and has a neo-Nazi record label. Rundo’s concept of the active club model draws inspiration from various sources, including Russian and European fight clubs, football ultras and “hooligans”, and ultranationalist groups.

These clubs can be characterised as small localised cells. They usually integrate mixed martial arts (MMA) training with nationalist political engagement. They focus on fitness, camaraderie, and political activism. This may include activities such as stickering, graffiti, and disrupting perceived adversaries. Some also participate in protests against issues such as immigration and LGBTQIA+ rights.

These clubs explicitly adhere to white supremacist ideologies and envision themselves as preparing for a racial conflict. According to extremism researcher Pavel Klymenko, far-Right fight clubs strategically utilise MMA training to equip themselves for potential political violence. Members of these clubs embrace militant accelerationism, anticipating societal collapse or a race-based conflict, intending to establish a white ethnostate.

Following his departure from the United States to evade federal charges related to riots, Rundo travelled extensively across Europe, particularly in the Balkans. There, he interacted with and gleaned insights from various far-Right groups and individuals. His journeys have been meticulously documented by Bellingcat. Rundo's vision of “White Supremacy 3.0” and the formation of active clubs drew inspiration from his observations in Europe, particularly from neo-Nazi activist gangs and football hooligan firms and Ultras.

These groups emphasise fitness, combat training, style, and counter-cultural endeavours such as graffiti, music, book clubs, and propaganda dissemination. Rundo published a video in April 2021 called Starting Your Own Crew, explaining that the concept of the Rise Above Movement and active clubs was largely influenced by his time living in Eastern Europe and inspired by European MMA-ultranationalist groups, including White Rex, Confident Hooligan, and Generation Identity.

An early embodiment of this model is White Rex, founded by Russian neo-Nazi hooligan Denis Kapustin (also known as Denis Nikitin) as an activewear brand in 2008. White Rex gained prominence through hosting whites-only MMA tournaments across Europe, fostering networks and expanding its influence within the international far-Right community. Kapustin articulated an ideology centred on traditionalism, hypermasculinity, racism, and a “warrior spirit,” which resonated with his followers.

Active clubs rally their members around the motto “Tribe and Train,” portraying themselves as contemporary Aryan warriors preparing for a racial conflict while advocating for “White unity” in support of their perceived communities. There are active clubs throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Europe, Latin America and New Zealand. Currently, all active clubs in Australia fall under the umbrella of the European Australian Movement and the National Socialist Network, though there have been other short-lived independent active clubs in Australia over the last two years.

The structure of the European Australian Movement & National Socialist Network

The European Australian Movement (EAM) is led by neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell, and neo-Nazi Jacob Hersant leads the National Socialist Network (NSN). These groups are part of one organisation and use the active club model. Sewell has stated that the active clubs in each state operate semi-autonomously. There are currently active clubs in every capital city except in the Northern Territory, and a number in regional areas.

Sewell recently discussed their model on a YouTube livestream with far-Right activist and Diagolon member Alex Vriend, who is also a leader of a Canadian active club:

So there's the, you know, in history, when we understand the National Socialists in Germany, there's the SA, and there's the SS, and there's the National Socialist German Workers Party. So it's sort of the same kind of principle. We're one total organisation, we're one movement here in Australia. And we have, there's many different arms or wings of that one singular movement. So it's, I wouldn't consider the SS or the SA, or the NSDAP to be three different movements or three different organisations. They're kind of like, how do you organise men for different objectives? How do you organise the same group of German nationalists that want to take back their country from International Jewry? And so in Australia, we've kind of got the same principle. So there's different missions, different horses for different courses. So there's a lot of cross pollination, unlike in that model. But in our model, it's just we do things objective-based. And we believe quite heavily in, I guess the correct word would be consent, or this idea that, the right, you have the right to associate with what you want to associate with. So what that means is that there are some people that, they might want to be members of the community, like European Australian Movement, they want to train, they want to get together, they want to have family barbecues, they want to network with other white people, they see that there's a lot to gain from that in terms of personally and practically, and for their family's sake, and realising that we have to train and collectivise and that “tribe and train” sort of mantra, but then they might be maybe, maybe they work a government job. Or maybe they not like that they're Feds, but maybe they work for subcontract for the government, for example, like there's a lot of people that might, you know, they might be plumbers, but the plumbing job that they have, is a subcontract to, like the state water service. And so they might be worried, like, you know, they got issues with the wife that, you know, I, if I go march down the street in black bloc and say, destroy paedophiles, and the council that I work for, the local council was waving these paedophile flags, it might cause me to lose my contract. So guys like that might be like, I'll do one half of the movement, but not the other half. And obviously, we encourage, and especially all the young guys, they do both, but a lot of the older guys, a lot of family men, a lot of the people that are maybe burnt out from activism, they're not as interested in the boots on the ground. So the situation, they're more interested in being like a rear detail, they're more interested in being community members, they're more interested in being logistics support, supply, for the effort, whether that be online or in person. And, you know, we need these men, we need everyone to be involved in the capacity they can be. So I'm interested in organising as many white man in this country into mobilising against a system that's trying to destroy them and kill them and pollute their genes and pollute their culture and society and children and everything. So that's what I'm interested in. And obviously, I do a lot of informational work as well, I try to create an online presence, I try to make sure that people know that we exist, but EAM isn't really going out and as an organisation, trying to push the buttons of the system. It's not like trying to go out there. And, you know, its purpose is different. Its purpose is internal, and a sense that let's build our men up, let's build our community up. All these other communities, they're doing their thing. And it's not that we're optics-cucking, it's just that if we focus this community into internal development, that's what I, that's what my mission is. And Jacob is very young, very keen, very energetic, very strong worldview in terms of is just, you know, they say, to understand something, you need to be able to explain it to, you know, a 10-year-old or something, to understand something, you should be able to explain it very simply and shortly and Jacob's, kind of a master of that, we've seen that with him creating an online presence for himself recently. He used to never make any sort of online content as Jacob Hersant, he just made it as part of NSN. But in the last two months, he's been pumping out a video a day, you know, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, just explaining the most core fundamental principles of the worldview. And that is in itself, an expression of who he is politically, in the sense of, let's get the core fundamental message out there as sharply as possible, let's hit home with it, let's slam the message on the table. And the reason why you see me in the front of all those rallies is not just because I'm the leader of the community and the movement as a whole. But also because he was put on a two year non-association. So he couldn't even organise his own organisation. So I was doing it for him. Because I love activism as well. I'm not a big fan of like, putting stickers up and stuff, I'm kind of burnt out from that. I did that a lot in the early days. And I'm keen for the young guys to do it. But I'm what I've seen is that, you know, the big rallies, like marching down the street in formation, putting the banner up putting the flags up and saying Here we are. So that's kind of the discrepancy, National Socialist Network is focused primarily on the anonymous activism, whereas EAM is focused primarily on tribing and training. It's like the community building, the MMA, the physical training, it's got an active club model, it's got a, it's got a really specific structure to it. But the two are just, we're just evolving, it's gonna take a lot of time to bleed the two together and, and have like a formality. And that's all going on behind the scenes. But for the public sake, we're just the Nazis, we're the white guys, whatever you want to call it, and we're just, we're just trying to save White Australia.

On the same livestream, Sewell said his minimum age for recruitment was sixteen. He said ideally, his recruits would be 18, but he would “tolerate” 16 or 17-year-olds if they are “ideologically mature.” We are aware of at least one 16-year-old joining the National Socialist Network. It is also worth noting that some members bring their young children to events and training sessions.

Thomas Sewell's profile among the international far-Right is now on par with Robert Rundo's. Sewell has emerged as a key international active club leader. This is in part due to respect from other neo-Nazis for publicly uploaded footage of attacks like the bashing of a Black security guard working for Channel 9, and activism like the DESTROY PAEDO FREAKS banner on the steps of Melbourne Parliament. Both have been perceived as bold stunts by neo-Nazis worldwide.

Sewell is more accessible and visible across social media than Rundo, whose personal social media presence has been sporadic due to his legal issues in the United States. While Rundo was networking in person with far-Right groups and individuals across Europe, Sewell has made himself available for chats and livestreams with the international far-Right. He is also unapologetically a neo-Nazi and does not shy from the “Jewish Question”, openly praising Adolf Hitler and National Socialism.

This ‘boldness’ is inspiring to neo-Nazis who appreciate his efforts to mainstream Antisemitism and Nazism. When Sewell was remanded in prison, he received support as a ‘political prisoner’ from neo-Nazis around the world. This was equal to the support that Robert Rundo has received since his imprisonment. Sewell’s time on remand has earned him further credibility in the movement and is seen as a testimony to his total commitment to the cause.

On February 15 2024, Sewell started hosting Spaces on Twitter/X, where many of his members and overseas neo-Nazis congregate. On March 10 2024, he hosted a Space with active club leaders from across the United States, Canada and Europe. In this Space, he revealed that he has mentored smaller groups in the United States and Europe over the last three to four years, saying he has helped set up two dozen or so active clubs overseas. He described Adolf Hitler as creating “the world’s biggest active club”.

Sewell explained the vetting process for the EAM and the NSN, saying it is important to have a long vetting process. He said new recruits are not made official members for a “very long time”. The first stage of recruitment is an associate, and the recruit is invited to all events and training for the next six months. After six months of regular attendance, they are made an initiated member and given a white wristband (one way to recognise if someone is a member of the organisation).

The initial membership process takes about 12 to 18 months of regular attendance and the achievement of certain fitness goals. They are then made a full member and swear oaths. He also described “spectators” as valuable – these are men sympathetic to the aims of the neo-Nazi movement but who won't join the organisation but may consume online content and donate.

Sewell also described another “layer” of membership, which he is “trying to work out how to mobilise”. He described them like this:

...that's the people that don't even want to show up once a month. But they are in online spaces. They are family men, they are careerists. And we're working on how to mobilise them. They don't really want the heat as well, they're often very afraid of the police attention, they're very afraid of being doxxed. Because they usually have good, high paying jobs. And they can't, they don't want to change their standard of living. And that's just the position that they're in. And we're looking at mobilising them in what you could call satellite groups. So the idea of setting up groups that aren't even on paper, anything to do with you, you don't really have much cross pollination, but they still have one or two guys from your group helping manage it, because if you left them alone to do their own thing, it would fizzle out and die and it wouldn't have that continuity. So having a cadre member, maintain a satellite group that has not public facing that hasn't got a serious level of commitment needed, but you can at least maintain them in the wider community instead of just maintaining them in an internet relationship. And that way, you know, as things come up, you'll find these people do have their uses – some of them IT guys, they can help you with security, your online security, some guys, you know, work in construction, and they can hire the young guys you have in your clubs, so they'll still network with the community. So I see those as like the four primary layers of an org.

Attitudes towards women

“Women have manipulated me using sex and emotion; demoralization, and I have manipulated them using violence and terror. We use what we have to get what we want.” – neo-Nazi Blair Cottrell.

“Pedophilia is actually based … if she bleeds she can get the seed.” – messages in the Discord server of National Socialist Network leader Cameron Brodie-Hall.

“An Eye for an Eye. A Tooth for a Tooth. A Rape for a Rape. When we win the retribution will be biblical.” – Thomas Sewell (source: Telegram chat of Matthew Roebuck, 15 April 2021)

Over the years, retention has been a key issue for far-Right and extremist groups. Members could burn out, become disillusioned with their lack of success, grow up, move, start studying or working, or have interpersonal conflicts within the group. However, the greatest threat to retention by far is getting a girlfriend. To this end, the EAM/NSN has developed a strategy for involving and controlling partners.

Due to the heavily misogynistic views of neo-Nazis, there is no place for women as political agents in EAM/NSN. Yet Sewell recognises women as crucial to retention. First, he suggests that all neo-Nazis tell their partners directly about their political views so there can be no confusion. Second, he fosters networking and bonding amongst the women through social events and encourages them to form sewing clubs, book clubs and so on. Finally, he encourages neo-Nazis to start families and aims to set up cooperative child-minding and, later, home-schooling. If women are very young, pregnant and networked with similar women, they are less likely to put pressure on their neo-Nazi partner to change.

Prominent members and associates of EAM/NSN have advocated marrying girls as young as 14. One has boasted of refusing to “let” his girlfriend wear trousers. Others have boasted about controlling what their partner wears to the gym or even eats. This is a form of coercive control. We’re aware that multiple members of EAM/NSN have been the subject of Intervention Orders, and ex-partners of EAM/NSN members have also told us that after leaving a relationship with an EAM/NSN member, they were subjected to harassment from other members of the group.

On September 12 2022, the new $90,000 ute of neo-Nazi Geoff Abel was burnt out in his driveway. The perpetrator was a child recruited from prison by neo-Nazi Benjamin Thomas, who has MEIN KAMPF tattooed on his forehead. Thomas arranged the arson attack as revenge against Abel, who was in a relationship at the time with Thomas' former girlfriend. Thomas was in prison on related domestic violence charges and had previously served time for stabbing a former partner in a jealous rage. Abel was jailed in 2023 for domestic violence offences against the same woman who he punched and kicked while she was pregnant. Both men were founding members of Activ88, the Wollongong active club cell of the NSN.

Attitudes towards violence

Sewell often states his group is non-violent and complains that they are depicted otherwise in the press. In the aftermath of the Christchurch massacre, Sewell compared himself favourably to Brenton Tarrant by saying that his group would remain non-violent on the condition that police did not investigate them:

“Mr Sewell said he did not wish harm on any minorities but that he would see violence as an option “if the state continues its persecution of our people for wanting to preserve their culture and heritage” or if his members were arrested.

“The difference between my organisation, myself and him [Tarrant], is simply that we believe, certainly at this stage, that there is a peaceful solution for us to create the society we want to live in,” Mr Sewell said.

“We want a peaceful alternative, we want to be treated with respect, we want to be left alone. If we are not given that opportunity, well, time will tell. I'm not going to give you any explicit threat but it's pretty f—king obvious what's going to happen.”

Mr Sewell said “we’re all gravy at the moment” because police were leaving his group alone but that people were “making the world burn, and they have names and addresses.”

This conditional commitment to peaceful co-existence with mainstream society is not evident in practice.

On 17 August 2019, members of the Victorian branch of the Antipodean Resistance group were involved in a road rage incident in Colac in which they threw a bottle at an Asian couple and assaulted a female KFC manager. When police investigated, they found knives, firearms and ammunition in the car belonging to the AR members.

On March 1 2021, Sewell and Hersant attended the Melbourne offices of Channel 9 to complain that their group would be depicted unfairly in an upcoming broadcast of A Current Affair. While being escorted from the premises by a Black security guard, Sewell unleashed an assault on the guard, which Magistrate Stephen Ballek described as “brutal in its force, speed and repetition.” Onlookers may have found the attack terrifying, but for Sewell and his cadre, it was something to be celebrated. Racist memes and animated GIFs celebrating the assault were widely shared in international neo-Nazi spaces on Telegram, and Sewell was invited to appear on the livestream of Canadian neo-Nazi Brandon Martinez – a personal hero of Sewell's – introducing him to a far wider audience than he had previously enjoyed.

While the potential disruption that Sewell's jailing might