Neo-Nazi leader threatens terrorism amid escalating far-right activity
Neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell has declared his willingness to “become a terrorist” and commit acts of violence if child protective services remove children from neo-Nazi households.
Thomas Sewell Pic: AAP
Sewell made his statements during a podcast earlier this year with other far-right activists. His comments underscore the intensifying rhetoric from Australia’s neo-Nazi movement and highlight a growing terrorism threat targeting police and judicial authorities.
In the broadcast, Sewell claimed that if Australian authorities implemented a measure he inaccurately attributed to the U.K.—removing children from far-right families—he would resort to “killing people” and called on followers to respond similarly. This rhetoric has raised new concerns about extremist violence, particularly among Jewish and other minority communities who are often the targets of neo-Nazi ideology. A recent investigation by ABC’s AM and 7.30 programs revealed that the National Socialist Network (NSN), led by Sewell, is organizing in major cities and spreading violent anti-government and antisemitic messages to a growing audience.
The threat of politically motivated violence in Australia has intensified, with the government raising the national terrorism threat level from “possible” to “probable” in August, citing the likelihood of violence across ideological spectrums. “We’ve seen enough to warrant elevating our vigilance,” said Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. “Nationalist and far-right extremism is just as dangerous and offensive as any other terrorist threat,” he told 7.30. Burke also condemned Sewell’s remarks, saying, “If you hate this country, leave. Don’t try to wreck it.”
Experts warn that Sewell’s incendiary language and open calls for violence may lead to actual terrorist acts. On the podcast, Sewell stressed that protecting children was a “line in the sand” and declared his intent to wage violent actions if government intervention occurred, claiming he is “deadly serious” about the prospect of violence. Sewell added, “We want a future for our kids. We want a white Australia…that’s the line in the sand.” His comments reveal an ideological commitment to violence grounded in racial purity and a perceived duty to defend the next generation, echoing dangerous precedents seen in far-right terrorism globally.
Increasing public actions from NSN members accompany this escalation in neo-Nazi rhetoric. Sewell and fellow co-founder Jacob Hersant, who was recently sentenced to a one-month prison sentence for performing a Nazi salute, are among a core group of NSN activists directly challenging law enforcement and promoting extremist ideologies. Sewell has also launched an online harassment campaign, threatening to “dox” a police officer involved in NSN-related investigations. Sewell’s campaign has encouraged followers to gather personal details about the officer’s family and life, further underlining the group’s growing confidence and disregard for legal boundaries.
Dr. Kristy Campion, a researcher in extremism, told the ABC that child-centred rhetoric is often used by far-right groups to rationalize violence. “We see right-wing terrorists time and time again justifying their violence on the basis of protecting children,” she said. Extremism researcher Dr. Kaz Ross added that Sewell’s “intimidation tactics aim to silence opposition and deter public and police resistance.”
Peter Wertheim, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ, emphasized, “Threats to members of our law enforcement agencies must be met with zero tolerance and maximum penalties. If police and other law enforcement officials can be threatened with impunity, then no citizen is safe.” He added, “Nazism is quintessentially a criminal enterprise involving the imposition of a dictatorship for the exploitation of the many by the psychopathic few. Thuggery, murder, and genocide are inseparable from Nazi ideology.”
This year, neo-Nazi activities targeting Jewish sites in Australia has escalated significantly. On October 13, three men performed a Nazi salute outside the Sydney Jewish Museum. The following day, approximately 20 to 30 members of the National Socialist Network (NSN) marched in Melbourne, displaying an antisemitic banner reading “Expose Jewish Power” at the Flinders Street railway station, where they also distributed neo-Nazi propaganda. These coordinated actions have raised alarm within Jewish communities, highlighting the emboldened nature of far-right groups in publicly spreading hate and antisemitic messages.
The rise in far-right activity and increasingly explicit threats of violence have prompted Australia’s Jewish community and other targeted groups to call for urgent action. Many believe that tackling this form of extremism must extend beyond policing to involve communities and educational systems. Dr. Ross emphasized, “This is a problem solved in families, in schools, and in communities. We cannot rely solely on government to address this issue.”
The Australian government’s elevated threat alert and renewed focus on domestic terrorism mark an essential response to a rapidly growing and dangerous neo-Nazi movement, which experts warn could shift from words to violent actions without stronger intervention.
