Neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell has been charged with violent disorder and affray over an alleged attack on Camp Sovereignty, a sacred Aboriginal burial ground in Kings Domain and longstanding protest site on Sunday.
Sewell, 32, from Balwyn, was charged with violent disorder, affray, assault by kicking, discharge missile and other offences by detectives from the Melbourne crime investigation unit, police said on Tuesday night.
He has been remanded to appear at Melbourne magistrates court on Wednesday.
A 23-year-old from Mooroolbark was also charged with violent disorder, affray and assault by kicking in relation to the Kings Domain incident, and a 20-year-old man from Ardeer was charged with violent disorder, affray and discharging a missile.
Both were bailed to appear at Melbourne magistrates court on 10 December.
All three were arrested outside the magistrates court at about 3.20pm on Tuesday.
Sewell, the leader of the National Socialist Network, had been in court for the second day of a three-day contested hearing related to charges of intimidating police and breaching multiple personal intervention orders.
He was representing himself in the matter before magistrate Michelle Hodgson.
Prior to his appearance in court and his subsequent arrest, Sewell confronted the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, as she was holding a press conference at Eades Park in West Melbourne with the treasurer, Jaclyn Symes, and upper house MP Sheena Watt.
He was separated from the premier by her security detail and the trio quickly left the park, with the press conference abandoned.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, speaking at a party room meeting of Labor MPs in Canberra immediately after the incident, branded it “horrific”.
In a statement, Allan said she was “unharmed and undeterred” after the press conference.
“It comes as no surprise that Nazis oppose me and my government. I wear that as a badge of honour,” she said.
“But this isn’t about me. It’s about all the other people in the community who Nazis target – like multicultural people, LGBTIQA+ people, First Peoples and Jews.
“They’re the Victorians who are on my mind right now, and they’re the Victorians who our anti-hate laws will protect when they come into force later this month.”
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Allan said there was “no place for hate” in the state and she would continue to be “out and about in public” fighting for all Victorians’ “right to belong”.
“I am not afraid. We know how these goons operate. They whip up fear to divide our society. They will fail. Because Victorians are fair, and our values are strong,” she said.
Later on Tuesday, she met with multicultural and multifaith groups in Hampton Park, in Melbourne’s south-east.
“Memo to no one in particular: this is what the real Victoria looks like. And we’re better for it,” she posted on X.
“Different families, different faiths, but the same Victorian values: love for our neighbours, respect for each other, and pride in ourselves.”
Allan was answering questions on the incident at Camp Sovereignty, and Sewell’s role in the rally, at the time he approached her.
Speaking generally, she had condemned the “despicable acts of violence and racism” that occurred at the weekend and announced she would be convening an anti-hate taskforce with Victoria police in response.
“The anti-hate taskforce [will] both look at the incidents over the weekend, but also understand too, that this goes beyond just being a law and order issue. There is something deeper going on here,” Allan said.
“People’s sense of economic security is being exploited by a small number of people, who are wanting to use cracks in our society and exploit them to drive division in our society.”
She said it had a been a “tough time” for many Australians but the solution was “not what this small number of people are trying to sell”.
“The pathway to social cohesion is in building a stronger society, a place where people have jobs, people have rights and are respected,” Allan said.
During the ambush, Sewell falsely claimed that 50,000 people attended the anti-immigration March for Australia in Melbourne on Sunday. Victoria police estimated about 5,000 people attended the march and counter-rallies.
He also falsely claimed Australians did not have the right to protest, despite being able to deliver a speech to the anti-immigration rally from the front steps of the Victorian parliament.
– with AAP
