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Prominent Neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell has been arrested outside a Melbourne court after his group attacked an Indigenous encampment on Sunday.
Two supporters of Sewell were also arrested outside the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, where about 25 police officers had gathered on Tuesday afternoon.
Video footage captured Sewell and dozens of others charging Camp Sovereignty – a sacred Indigenous burial site and the location of a permanent vigil in Southbank – on Sunday evening after breaking away from that day’s anti-immigration March for Australia rally in the CBD.
Police confirmed Tuesday’s arrests were over the attack on Camp Sovereignty.
They came just after two unidentified men entered courtroom 27, where Sewell had been contesting unrelated charges, and got into a heated confrontation with Sewell and his supporters.
The verbal altercation had to be broken up by about a dozen police officers.
Thomas Sewell was arrested outside a Melbourne court on Tuesday.Credit: The Age
About 10 of Sewell’s supporters and 25 police and protective services officers had gathered outside the court on Tuesday before the arrests.
One of the men arrested was wearing a jacket that said, “F--- off we’re full”.
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Just hours before the arrests, on his way to his court hearing, Sewell derailed a press conference being held by Premier Jacinta Allan and Treasurer Jaclyn Symes, heckling Allan and saying “Heil, Australia” before being pushed away by security.
Sewell, the leader of the National Socialist Network, was in court as part of a three-day contest hearing after he was accused of intimidating a police officer and contravening two personal intervention orders last year.
Sewell being arrested outside court on Tuesday.Credit: The Age
Sewell is also charged with getting another person to publish content about the two protected people online and sharing a video on X of one of the alleged victims in 2024.
The court heard he is also facing earlier charges of intimidating the law enforcement officer in October 2023 as well as the officer’s family member.
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