Prominent Australian nationalist Joel Davis is being kept in 24-hour lockdown, denied showers, phone calls and books, and has not been given meals on multiple occasions since being transferred to a maximum security prison while on remand for a Telegram post, and is now facing new charges over his political activism.
Mr Davis, 30, has been in custody since being arrested by an Australian Federal Police National Security Investigations team in Bondi, Sydney, on November 20 for allegedly writing “Patriots – I bid thee to rhetorically rape Allegra Spender” in response to the federal MP calling for him and other members of the National Socialist Network to be jailed over a peaceful protest against Jewish lobby influence in Australian politics, and missed the birth of his child.
He was charged with “using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence”, repeatedly refused bail, and after his last rejected bail application on December 23 was moved to the Long Bay Correctional Complex, which earlier this month was declared “incapable of providing safe and humane conditions”, and is also housing alleged ISIS terrorist Naveed Akram, who is facing 59 charges over the Bondi massacre.
White Australia leader Thomas Sewell revealed on Telegram on Tuesday night that he had been informed by Mr Davis’s lawyer that his client was facing new charges, is not being allowed to exercise, is confined to his isolation cell for 24 hours a day instead of the standard 23, and had been denied meals on several occasions.
“Victoria and NSW Police have charged Joel another six times with hurting peoples feelings with a range of offences for a podcast in December 2024,” he wrote, and said the charges amounted to the government “completely attacking political communication”.
“Joel has not received any mail since being moved (which is pretty typical for at least a week and sometimes up to a month unfortunately), and has been denied books.
“The prison is denying him phone calls to his friends and his mother because ‘he is a national security risk and has no rights’. The Commissioner still has not allowed him to call his own mother because it would be a risk to national security.”
Mr Sewell, who was granted bail himself in November after spending 72 days in similar conditions in Victoria, described Mr Davis’s treatment as “human rights abuse” and passed on messages from Mr Davis saying “the show goes on” and wishing his friends and supporters a happy New Year.
The day before Mr Davis’s previous court appearance, where bail was denied when a magistrate ruled that his circumstances had not changed enough to warrant a new application, another man was granted bail after being charged for allegedly calling for the kidnapping of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and earlier this month another man was given bail after being charged for allegedly threatening to kill Communications Minister Anika Wells.
A report on Long Bay tabled in parliament on December 4 by the NSW Inspector of Custodial Services recommended that the LBH 2 facility where remand prisoners are held be shut down along with the Metropolitan Special Programs Centre (MSPC), which opened in 1909 and houses a variety of inmates.
“We found the infrastructure of MSPC and LBH 2 to be ‘dilapidated, unsafe, and not fit for purpose’ and ‘incapable of providing safe and humane conditions’ and recommend these facilities be permanently closed,” Custodial Services Inspector Fiona Rafter said.
The report, which was based on inspections in 2023 and 2024, found that LBH 2, has “aged poorly” since opening in 1967, with mould on ceilings and rusted furniture, and is prone to extreme temperatures and becomes draughty and damp from wind and rain.
“The LBH 2 MPU holds inmates on segregation orders. Cells in the MPU do not contain showers or have secure rear yards for time out of cell. MPU inmates must shower in one of five outdoor holding yards. These holding yards are also the only place MPU inmates can spend time out of cell,” the report stated.
“The condition of the yards is unsatisfactory – they are sparse, exposed to weather conditions and, during our visit in July 2024, toilets in four of the yards were blocked. Access to fresh air and exercise is particularly important for mitigating the negative impact of isolation for this group of inmates.
“All inmates should have easy access to a shower and a toilet. Inmates subject to segregation or protective custody orders who are placed in MPUs can have very limited time out of cell. Access to fresh air and exercise is particularly important for mitigating the negative impact of isolation for this group of inmates.
“The infrastructure of this MPU is incapable of providing inmates with decent conditions and should be closed immediately.”
Mr Davis is due to face court again on January 14.
Header image: Left, Joel Davis at a protest last year (supplied). Right, one of the remand prisoner cells at Long Bay (Inspector of Custodial Services)
