Hate crackdown spells end for Australia’s neo-Nazis
Having spent months trying to position themselves as a mainstream political force, the country’s most vocal neo-Nazi groups will fold to avoid arrest.
Thomas Sewell went to court with half a dozen black-clad members of the National Socialist Network. (Con Chronis/AAP PHOTOS)
Australia’s most prominent neo-Nazi groups will disband within a week as the federal government announces new hate speech laws after the Bondi terrorist attack.
The National Socialist Network announced on Tuesday in a Telegram post seen by AAP that it will shut down as an organisation to avoid past and present members being prosecuted for recruiting people to spread racial hatred.
The disbandment will also apply to aligned groups White Australia, the European Australian Movement and the White Australia Party.
Fears members could be targeted for performing Nazi or ‘Roman’ salutes were other reasons given for the hasty wind-down.
The legislation to be debated in parliament next week would give the federal government powers to prescribe hate groups that currently fall below terrorist listing thresholds.
“The National Socialist Network will be fully disbanded before 11:59pm Sunday the 18th of January 2026,” the group said in the Telegram post.
“If the laws pass, there will no way (sic) to avoid the organisation being banned.”
Organisers, supporters and recruiters of listed groups face 15 years in prison under the proposed laws while members face seven.
Disseminating ideas of superiority over or hatred of another person or group because of their race, colour or national and ethnic origin is also an offence.
The disbandment is likely a fatal blow to any chance of the group achieving mainstream political recognition after the White Australia Party previously announced it had reached enough members to form a registered party.
“We are pleased to announce that we have obtained greater than 1500 signups for members of our White Australia Party (Federal) project,” NSW leader Jack Eltis said on November 21.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke was contacted for comment.
The federal laws are being pushed through quickly as a response to the Bondi attack, but other jurisdictions were already cracking down on the National Socialist Network’s activities.
Neo-Nazis organised by the group protested outside the NSW parliament earlier in November, prompting the state government to draft its own laws designed to crack down on the spread of the hateful ideology.
The group’s leader Thomas Sewell is facing charges relating to two incidents in August, including allegedly leading a group attack on a sacred First Nations site in Melbourne where several people were assaulted.
