Sam Newman gives platform to Nazis

February 4, 2025 by David Marlow
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Former Geelong footballer and AFL Footy Show regular Sam Newman has come under fire for inviting prominent neo-Nazis to speak on his podcast.

Sam Newman Photo: Facebook

Newman was a leading player at the Geelong Football Club in the 1960s and 1970s and has often attracted negative attention for his outrageous activities and statements, including perceived racist skits on the Footy Show.

Newman interviewed neo-Nazis Thomas Sewell and Blair Cottrell on his podcast, his last media stand after being ostracised by mainstream media. He was also proudly photographed with the notorious pair.

New Zealand-born Sewell is a renowned neo-Nazi activist and organiser. He promotes National Socialism and is the leader of the National Socialist Network, the European Australian Movement and the founder of the Lads Society. These groups promote white supremacy and a far-right agenda across Australia. He even boasted that he had attempted to recruit the eventual perpetrator of the Christchurch mosque massacre into the Lads Society.  He has a violent past, having attacked a security guard in a television office in 2021 and going to prison for attacking hikers in 2023.

Cottrell is an extremist far-right and neo-Nazi activist. He was a founding member of the United Patriots Front and the Lads Society. He has convictions and has served prison time for stalking, arson, aggravated burglary and illegal steroid trafficking. The Christchurch gunman had referred to Cottrell as “Emperor Blair Cottrell.”

Newman said, “I cannot ignore them but interviewing them is not an endorsement of their mantra.”

There was also a photograph of Sewell, Cottrell and Newman posted on social media.  Newman argued that he always does a “promotional video of subjects I interview…this is not guilt by association.”

“By no means do I condone what they’re on. But I thought they’re people of interest, and I’m going to put it to air. If you think I’m a Nazi, then so be it. Why don’t you have a look at what they say and what I ask them, and you make your mind up.”

The podcast discussed Sewell’s Australia Day march with 16 far-right comrades, who were then arrested and charged with loitering and displaying a Nazi symbol in Adelaide.

Anti-Defamation Commission Chairman Dvir Abramovich strongly criticised the decision to interview the pair, calling it an “absolute moral collapse.”

“Sam Newman has now plunged into the depths of disgrace, rolling out the red carpet for these men.”

“Newman has spat in the face of Holocaust survivors, trampled on the legacy of the courageous Diggers who died to defeat Hitler, and insulted every Australian who has fought against bigotry.”

“He has given these men a megaphone, and in doing so, has disgraced not only himself, but the very game that once made him a household name.”

David Southwick, State Member for Caulfield said, “Nobody should be giving Nazi haters a microphone. The only time we should hear about Nazis is when they are facing the full force of the law. Anyone giving Nazis a platform should be condemned for it. Sam Newman has clearly learnt nothing from the recent surge in antisemitism against the Jewish community in Victoria.”

Zionist Federation of Australia CEO Alon Cassuto said the pair “had no place being platformed.”

Newman has upped the ante on the issue by saying on his podcast today, “Here’s an invitation to you, Mr. Abramovich. I’d love you to come in here and sit opposite me and say what you have said on that. Say that to my face, and if you got the courage to do that or maybe you’re a coward…Doc, get your ass in here, mate, and tell me what you disagree with me interviewing those people for.”

Abramovich has responded by saying, “You can huff and puff all you want, but here’s the truth: this isn’t about ‘courage.’ This is about morality. And I will not, under any circumstances, sit across from a man who put out the welcome mat for neo-Nazis and treated their hate like casual entertainment.”

“Let’s call this pathetic stunt what it is—a desperate, attention-seeking ploy from a man who knows he’s disgraced himself and is now lashing out like a cornered rat. I don’t need to validate your sideshow with my presence, Sam. I’ve already said everything that needs to be said.”

“This isn’t about free speech, and it certainly isn’t about courage. It’s about right and wrong. It’s about standing up to hate, not giving it oxygen

Comments

One Response to “Sam Newman gives platform to Nazis”
  1. Liat Kirby says:

    Well said, Dvir Abramovich. Most excellent indeed.

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