A pair of Australian nationalists who were accused of displaying a Nazi symbol during an Australia Day march in Adelaide have had the charges dropped.
White Australia leader Thomas Sewell and prominent activist Joel Davis faced Adelaide Magistrates Court for a pre-trial conference on Friday, where the prosecution withdrew charges of “display Nazi symbol” for wearing the logo of the National Socialist Network (NSN) on their sleeves.
But Mr Sewell, who was arrested just seconds into a speech at the National War Memorial on January 26, is still facing a loitering charge over the march, and Mr Davis is facing a second Nazi symbol charge over a belt buckle he was wearing outside court three days later.
All but a handful of the other 15 men charged over the march have had loitering, Nazi symbol and “possess article of disguise” charges dropped in recent weeks, including Western Australian man Stephen Wells, 56, who spent almost four months in jail after refusing to sign bail conditions with non-association conditions.
Mr Davis had his own non-association bail condition revoked on Friday, but Mr Sewell is still banned from associating with other members of the NSN – the activist branch of White Australia – until his next court appearance early next month.
“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.
During the interview Mr Sewell, who asked the magistrate if his hearing could be opened to the media but had his request refused, 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, Mr Sewell being arrested on Australia Day (supplied). Right, Mr Davis being arrested on January 29 (7 News).
