Police have been accused of trying to impede nationalist activist Thomas Sewell’s political activities after his trial for allegedly loitering during an Australia Day march was delayed again.
Mr Sewell, the leader of political organisation White Australia, appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court for his third pre-trial conference by phone on Thursday, after last week having a separate charge of displaying a Nazi symbol dropped.
The Victorian father-of-two was among 17 men charged after the National Socialist Network (NSN) – the activist branch of White Australia – marched through the South Australian capital on January 26 waving Australian flags and singing Waltzing Matilda, and spent three days in solitary confinement on remand.
The vast majority have had their charges dropped, including Western Australian man Stephen Wells, 56, who was locked up for almost four months while prosecutors repeatedly had his case adjourned and magistrates refuse to alter his bail conditions.
Video obtained by Noticer News shows nationalist activist Thomas Sewell being arrested seconds into a speech in front of the National War Memorial in Adelaide today.
“I am under arrest for celebrating Australia Day”, he says as police handcuff him. pic.twitter.com/Ac6unpgmTQ
— The Noticer (@NoticerNews) January 26, 2025
Police prosecutors last week proposed a withdrawal of the fail to cease loiter charge if Mr Sewell agreed to not seek payment of his legal fees, however Mr Sewell refused as he intends to fight the charge, and today Magistrate Mary-Louise Hribal rejected an application from defence lawyer Matthew Hopkins to remove his client’s non-association bail condition.
Mr Sewell, who has been unable to contact members of his political organisation since Australia Day, will now face a fourth pre-trial conference on July 17, and Mr Hopkins told Noticer News the number of hearings was “highly unusual” for the type of charge.
Mr Hopkins described the bail conditions as a “deep incursion into fundamental rights” and “disproportionate and completely unreasonable for such a minor offence”.
“Given the prosecution now intend to proceed with the very minor charge, one with very limited prospects of success, and a charge his co-accused have had withdrawn, the defence apprehends a collateral purpose for continuing the prosecution, perhaps an ulterior motive to continue to frustrate our client’s political activities by keeping him subjected to strict non-association bail conditions through continually delaying the matter getting to trial,” Mr Hopkins said.
Noticer News understands that local journalists who attempted to attend the hearing were refused access despite the defence giving permission for it to be held in open court, a situation which also occurred during last week’s pre-trial conference.
During Friday’s court appearance, which Mr Sewell attended in person, prosecutors withdrew a charge of “display Nazi symbol” for wearing the logo of the National Socialist Network (NSN) on his sleeve, and did the same for prominent NSN activist Joel Davis in a separate hearing.
Mr Davis is facing a second Nazi symbol charge over a belt buckle he was wearing outside court three days after the Australia Day march, but had his non-association bail condition dropped ahead of his next court appearance, which is months away.
“They’re playing stupid games but none of this will stick and we will prevail,” Mr Davis wrote on Telegram after the hearing.
“The prosecution absurdly argued that [my belt] was still a Nazi symbol on the basis of an ‘expert witness’ whose only degree is in ‘gender studies’ and this somehow qualifies him to decide what a ‘Nazi symbol’ is.”
Mr Davis also shared a photo of Mr Sewell being interviewed by reporters outside court, and showing them footage of a South Australia Police officer saying he wanted to shoot and assault members of the NSN, which was included in the group’s recent documentary on the events of the Australia Day weekend.
Via Tom Sewell
Post court interview after having Australia Day Nazi Symbols charge dropped in Adelaide today.
After it cuts I showed them the 40 seconds of SA Police incitement to violence from the doco. pic.twitter.com/00V8gNx5pV
— C O M F Y F R E N (@Real_Comfyfren) May 29, 2025
During the interview Mr Sewell described the police and courts as “absolutely corrupt”, and said he and his organisation had been the target of political policing and prosecution.
“After four months in waiting they decided to drop the Nazi symbol charge, for our celebration of Australia Day. It’s been about four months but they decided not to drop the loitering charge – they said they need one more week to decide whether I was in fact loitering,” Mr Sewell said.
“I think it’s a disgrace, I think South Australia Police are absolutely corrupt, I think the magistrate that first heard us, Magistrate Davis, is a corrupt magistrate, he’s an activist judge.
“We are meant to have the right to political communication, and yet from what looks like the top down, there has been a malicious prosecution and a malicious hearing against us for our political views.”
Mr Sewell went on to say he planned to challenge the Nazi symbols law in the High Court.
“It doesn’t matter that the charges have been dropped, the fact is the law is unconstitutional, and we need to challenge that law,” he said.
Header image: Left, right, Mr Sewell being arrested on Australia Day (supplied).
