Deport New Zealand-born Neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell: AustralianS Petition Govt

Thomas Sewell of Nationalist Socialist Network.

Over 100,000 Australians have signed a petition calling for the deportation of New Zealand-born neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell.

Sewell is currently facing multiple charges following an alleged attack on the sacred First Nations protest site, Camp Sovereignty, in Melbourne. Over 100,00 Australians have so far signed the change.org petition calling on the government to revoke Sewell’s citizenship and send him packing back to New Zealand.

Who Is Thomas Sewell?

Thomas Sewell, born around 1993 in New Zealand, moved to Australia as a child with his family and has lived here ever since. He attended Balwyn High School in Melbourne and briefly served as an infantryman in the Australian Army from 2012 to 2014. 

Known for his extremist views and violent behaviour, Sewell rose to infamy as a far-right activist and neo-Nazi organiser.

Sewell is the leader and founder of several extremist groups, including the National Socialist Network (NSN), the European Australian Movement (EAM), and the Lads Society. These groups advocate white supremacy and openly promote National Socialism and neo-Nazi ideology. 

Sewell has been linked to multiple acts of violence and intimidation, including an assault on a security guard at the Nine Network in Melbourne and attacks on hikers in Victoria’s Cathedral Range. 

His groups are known to use intimidation tactics and public stunts featuring Nazi salutes and racist slogans. 

Criminal Cases Against Sewell

In March 2021, Sewell was charged with affray, reckless injury, and unlawful assault after he and an associate violently attacked a black security guard outside the Nine Network offices in Melbourne.

He was found guilty and sentenced in early 2023 to an 18-month community corrections order with 150 hours of community service. After sentencing, Sewell provocatively performed a Nazi salute outside the courtroom.

In May 2021, Sewell and up to 15 masked men attacked hikers in Victoria’s Cathedral Range, leading to further charges including armed robbery, assault with a weapon, and violent disorder. In August 2023, he pled guilty to violent disorder and was sentenced to just over a month in prison, but had already served that time on remand.

More recently, Sewell was charged in 2024 for intimidating a police officer and breaching an intervention order, linked to his role in far-right protests and attempts to disrupt refugee rights demonstrations.

On Australia Day 2025, Sewell and around 40 NSN members marched through Adelaide chanting racist slogans; he and others were arrested and charged with various offences, including displaying Nazi symbols.

March For Australia And The Attack On Camp Sovereignty

On August 31, 2025, March for Australia protests against immigration, Thomas Sewell took to the stage outside Victoria’s state parliament in Melbourne to deliver a vile white supremacist speech. 

Addressing thousands of attendees, he promoted the incendiary "Great Replacement Theory," warning that Australia was being “beset on all sides by ginormous empires of the third world.” 

Sewell urged his followers to resist immigration, claiming that if Australians did not maintain their “demographics,” their “death is certain.” He specifically targeted Indian and Chinese-Australian communities in his speech.

Sewell framed the rally as a growth opportunity for his movement, stating, “When you're in a fight with people that hate this country, sometimes you have to learn to make friends.” 

His speech was part of a broader far-right presence at the marches, which saw neo-Nazi chants and symbols displayed openly. 

The same day, Sewell and his group allegedly attacked Camp Sovereignty, a sacred First Nations protest camp, injuring several people. Witnesses described Sewell leading masked men who assaulted protesters, destroyed cultural symbols, and forced their way into the site.

The attack led to community outrage. Victoria Police arrested Sewell on Tuesday and charged him with violent disorder, affray, assault, discharging a missile and other offences for the attack on Camp Sovereignty. 

The Petition: Tens of Thousands Demand Deportation

Following the Camp Sovereignty attack, a petition on Change.org quickly gathered more than 65,000 signatures demanding Sewell be deported back to New Zealand.

Organisers argue that Sewell represents a dangerous extremist threat incompatible with Australian values.

“His presence poisons our community and threatens our First Nations peoples,” the petition states. “We call on the federal government to act decisively—deport Sewell and dismantle the networks of hate he leads.”

Citizenship Law Complications

Despite public outrage, deporting Sewell is legally complicated. Although born in New Zealand, Sewell is now an Australian citizen, and current laws, especially following recent High Court rulings, restrict the government’s power to strip citizenship based solely on criminal or extremist conduct.

Deportation of dual nationals requires court approval, and the legislation has limited tools to address threat figures like Sewell.

A reform of the Australian Citizenship Act is needed to allow the speedy removal of violent extremists holding dual nationality. The petition explicitly demands such reforms, arguing that weak laws are emboldening neo-Nazis.