Nationalist activist Thomas Sewell has faced court over an alleged clash with far-left extremists at “Camp Sovereignty” in Melbourne last year along with 13 co-accused, and said he disputed police claims that he was the instigator.
Mr Sewell, 32, faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday after being charged with 25 offences over the alleged incident at the illegal aboriginal squatter encampment between then-members of the now disbanded National Socialist Network and Antifa activists who were using it as a base to attack attendees of a March for Australia rally on August 31.
The court heard Mr Sewell and police had yet to settle on agreed facts about the alleged clash and his lawyer Matthew Hopkins, of Paladin Lawyers, said he was liaising with the prosecution to attempt to resolve the matter, ABC News reported.
Thomas Sewell speaks to the media and debates a heckler after facing court today over his alleged clash with Antifa at Camp Sovereignty in Melbourne last year.
The heckler later gave his name as David Thiel and ranted about an “over masculinised society”.
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Magistrate Donna Bakos agreed to adjourn Mr Sewell’s case until March, along with the matters of Nathan Bull, Timothy Lutze, Ryan Williams and Augustus Hartigan.
Billy Conheady, Zack Dewaard and Haymish Busscher entered not guilty pleas to violent disorder and affray and will have their charges heard in the County Court in March.
Jake Crockett, Michael Nelson, Michael Saarinen and Yan Zakharin – a Ukrainian refugee who has had his visa cancelled due to his political opinions and is being held in immigration detention – instructed their lawyers to cross-examine police, which will take place at a magistrates court hearing in May.
Another man, Jaedan Johnson, pleaded guilty to violent disorder, assault by kicking and committing an indictable offence while on bail.
Mr Sewell spoke to the reporters outside court where he said he wanted the court to make clear that the attack was not unprovoked or an attack on indigenous elders as has been claimed, and referred to a video of an aboriginal elder recounting how far-left extremists were using “Camp Sovereignty” as a “staging point”.
Aboriginal man from “Camp Sovereignty” confirms that left-wing extremists bashing patriots was the cause of the alleged NSN attack on the camp.
“The idiots inside the camp caused that, chasing after people”
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“He says in his statement that these Antifa troublemakers using it to assault several people who were walking home with Australian flags, and so that’s what we want the police and the media to admit,” he said.
“And then if you can admit the truth, then we’re happy to negotiate a guilty verdict … This idea that I just walk around the street just punching people in the head for no reason, that’s what the media and the police are alleging, and it’s just a lie, don’t do that.
“We were there because those people assaulted our friends, and assaulted innocent pilgrims who were attending the March for Australia. These people attacked not just vehicles or property damage, but they attacked everyday Australians that came down waving the Aussie flag.
“They’re using the aboriginal issue as like a cloak to mask their Communism. So they’re a group of rabid anti-Australian Communists, and they’re hiding behind the aboriginal people.
“My final point is that it’s a two-tier justice system where no one that threw missiles on that day against the March for Australia rallygoers, none of them have faced charges, about 15 of us are facing charges for throwing missiles and related offences, and none of them have been charged. Why is it only one side has been charged?”
He then engaged in a short discussion with a heckler who gave his name as David Thiel to 10 News and complained that Australia was an “over masculinised society”.
Header image: Left, Mr Sewell outside court on Tuesday. Right, at Camp Sovereignty (supplied).
