Neo-Nazi linked man charged over alleged threats to royal commission witness

A Northern Rivers man linked to the National Socialist Network has been charged after allegedly sending offensive emails to a witness before the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.

Woodburn gym owner Gavin Begbie, 59, appeared before the NSW Bail Division Court on Thursday after Australian Federal Police arrested him on the state’s far north coast.

Police allege Begbie sent three offensive emails to a witness appearing before the royal commission, which was established after the Bondi terrorist attack to examine the rise and impact of antisemitism in Australia.

The AFP’s National Security Investigations team received a report about the emails in May. Investigators allegedly linked Begbie to the messages before executing a search warrant at Woodburn on June 11.

During the raid, police allegedly seized electronic devices, right-wing literature and pamphlets, instructions on making explosives and two prohibited weapons.

Begbie was charged with four counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, one count of intimidating a witness, two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon in contravention of a weapons prohibition order and one count of contravening a requirement to provide access to electronic devices.

The AFP said the prohibited weapons and device-access offences each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

The Australian reported Begbie had attended a November neo-Nazi rally outside NSW Parliament, where senior National Socialist Network figures Jack Eltis and Joel Davis led dozens of black-clad men in chants of “blood and honour” in front of a banner reading “abolish the Jewish lobby”.

The newspaper also reported Begbie had shared news of the NSN’s proscription as a designated hate group in an encrypted chat group before quickly deleting the post.

A Facebook page appearing to belong to Begbie contains numerous neo-Nazi and racist memes and slogans.

Photos released after the AFP raid showed items allegedly seized from the Woodburn property, including extremist literature, National Socialist Network-style pamphlets and a copy of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”. A knife and a whip were also photographed by police.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Counter Terrorism Peter Crozier said online threats could have serious criminal consequences.

“The Royal Commission was established in response to acts of hatred and intolerance directed at members of our community. Any continued intimidation or incitement of violence against individuals who are providing evidence to this inquiry is wholly intolerable,” Assistant Commissioner Crozier said.

“Using violence, threats or intimidation towards a witness in any proceeding, including before a royal commission, undermines important processes.

“People who believe they can threaten or harass people appearing before royal commissions, or before any sector of the judicial system, need to be aware the AFP has the resources and technology to find you and bring you before the courts.”

The case is one of the first public examples of the AFP’s National Security Investigations teams acting in relation to alleged intimidation connected to the royal commission.

AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett announced the creation of the NSI teams in October 2025 to target groups and individuals causing high levels of harm to Australia’s social cohesion. The AFP has described the teams as focused on politically motivated violence, communal violence and hate crimes that may not meet the legal threshold for terrorism offences but still drive fear and division.

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion was established on January 9, 2026, after the Bondi terrorist attack on December 14, 2025.

Former High Court justice Virginia Bell AC SC was appointed as royal commissioner. The inquiry is examining the prevalence, causes and effects of antisemitism in Australia, as well as government, police, education and community responses.

The commission’s first public hearing was held in Sydney on February 24. Its first major hearing block ran from May 4 to May 15, followed by a second block starting on May 25.

As of June 5, the commission had received 14,741 submissions, held hearings with 83 witnesses and recorded 19,700 livestream views.

Bell delivered an interim report on April 30, focused on the circumstances surrounding the Bondi attack and urgent matters requiring action. The report made 14 recommendations, including applying NSW Police procedures used for Operation Jewish High Holy Days to other high-risk Jewish festivals and public-facing events.

The commission is due to hand its final report to the governor-general by December 14, the first anniversary of the Bondi attack.

The alleged email threats come after Bell publicly warned that witnesses had been targeted after giving evidence.

Before a hearing on May 26, Bell said the commission had received reports from several witnesses about a “dramatic increase in online hate messages” after they had appeared. She said one matter had already been referred to the AFP.

Bell said the commission was monitoring such material and recording offensive social media posts.

“Quite what this undiluted level of hatred and bigotry directed towards members of the Jewish community is thought to benefit by those who post these remarks is lost on me,” she said.

The case also follows an incident outside the commission in May, when Killarney Heights man Ian Minus was charged after appearing near the hearing venue wearing a T-shirt bearing a swastika and the words “Antisemitism. Proud to be accused. Speak up!”

Minus later pleaded guilty to displaying a Nazi symbol in public and is due to be sentenced in July.

The National Socialist Network has also become a target of new federal hate group laws passed after the Bondi attack.

On May 15, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced that White Australia, previously known as the National Socialist Network, had been listed as a prohibited hate group under the Criminal Code.

The listing was the second under the new prohibited hate group framework, which allows groups that promote violence or hatred to be banned. It is now a criminal offence to support or take part in the listed group or any clear affiliate or derivative organisation, with penalties of up to 15 years in prison.

Burke said at the time that the group’s attempt to rebrand did not change its conduct or ideology.

Begbie did not apply for bail and is due to appear at Lismore Local Court on August 12. No pleas have been entered.