Neo-Nazi leaders admit hiker attack but claim innocence
A neo-Nazi group leader who admitted attacking a group of hikers in a Victorian state park now claims he’s innocent of the charges and that he was the real victim.
Thomas Sewell speaks to the media at the County Court of Victoria in Melbourne Friday, October 27, 2023. (AAP Image/Con Chronis)
Thomas Sewell and Jacob Hersant were both convicted on Friday after pleading guilty to a violent affray in the Cathedral Ranges State Park in May 2021.
They were among a group of far-right National Socialist Network and European Australian Movement members who set upon a group of friends hiking in the national park.
But outside the Victorian County Court, where he was sentenced to one month and seven days of prison time already served, Sewell claimed the organisations had always been respectful to members of the public.
There are two sides to every story, he said, claiming he and two other young members of the organisations had been run over by the group of friends first.
“We have behaved honourably at all times,” he said.
“We are a law-abiding organisation, we’re looking for political change in this country and we’re not looking to harm or hurt anyone.”
Judge Kellie Blair said Sewell, now 30, was leader of the European Australian Movement at the time, while Hersant, now 24, led the National Socialist Network.
Despite pleading guilty to violent affray charges, Sewell told reporters outside court that they were not guilty and had been forced to accept a deal that would keep their prison time to a minimum because police had refused to provide some of the evidence against them.
He denied that there were knives involved in the incident, claiming it was a fabrication by hostile witnesses.
“There’s no way these gay, Jewish, communist witnesses are going to be reasonable,” he said.
“They’re going to exacerbate, and they’re anti-fascist so they’ve got a political motivation to make false accusations.”
He also claimed the group was not violent but when asked about Hersant’s previous conviction for assaulting a security guard, said the judge in that case was “politically motivated”.
Sewell was joined by supporters outside the hearing, including one who shouted “Australia for the white man” and provided support for Hitler.
Judge Blair, in sentencing Sewell and Hersant to time served, said the group of friends hiking in the park had seen stickers on their walk with the “Australia for the white man” phrase.
They also saw men wearing black shirts emblazoned with a white Celtic Cross, the emblem of the European Australian Movement.
The friends speculated that the group may be neo-Nazis.
When they crossed paths again in the car park, one of the group googled neo-Nazi symbols and took a video of the other men.
Judge Blair said 10 to 15 men from the group ran toward a car, concealed their identities and threatened the friends, including one with a knife.
Prosecutors claimed Sewell injured his arm on a broken window, either by breaking it himself or reaching into the car.
Hersant was said to have reached through the driver’s side window to either turn off the car or grab the keys.
Judge Blair said while the offending arose from their association with neo-Nazi groups she didn’t consider it to be related to their political views.
Hersant was sentenced to three days’ prison time, already served, and ordered to perform 200 hours of community work over 14 months.
Sewell was sentenced to one month and seven days, with Judge Blair taking into account the difficult conditions he spent in custody over six months to be sufficient punishment.
She said both men had good prospects of rehabilitation, but Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dvir Abramovich said he was shocked by that given what he’d seen in recent years.
“The law must always convey, in a clear and loud voice, that physical violence and expressions of bigotry and hatred will not be tolerated in Victoria,” he said.
Victoria Police said they were investigating allegations a man performed a Nazi salute and said “heil Hitler” outside the court on Friday – the first such incident reported since new laws banning the Nazi salute and symbols came into effect on October 21.
“We will locate and interview this person in relation to this behaviour,” police said in a statement on Friday night.
“Police will be taking a zero-tolerance approach to any breach on the prohibition on performing Nazi salutes or displaying Nazi symbols in public.”
AAP
