By Richard Stone
Recent neo-Nazi activity in Adelaide stands as a reminder of the menace of the far-right in contemporary Australia; the fascist extravaganza, however, was soon effectively challenged by the Police who used recent South Australian government legislation to deal with the matter. The neo-Nazis, nevertheless, carry a lot of historical baggage and important lessons can be learnt from their chosen method of clandestine organisation, activism and how they have evolved from earlier fascist groups. Continued fears of their links into military and para-military organisations remains a very real concern; terrorism remains a constant danger, as Australians have become well aware in recent weeks.
On Tuesday, 28 January, Adelaide Magistrates Court dealt with fifteen neo-Nazis who had been arrested following Australia Day on the previous Sunday. While the charges were relatively minor, including loitering and other related offences under South Australian law, they high-lighted neo-Nazi activity. They were subsequently released on bail, banned from communicating with other members of the National Socialist Network (NSN) and forbidden to possess firearms. (1)
It has remained highly significant to note a number of the offenders were from inter-state, with only a few from the Adelaide area. (2)
It has also remained highly significant to note were wearing fascist insignia, including the Arrow Cross; the Hungarian fascist connection has a long history in Australia. (3) The country had a localised and largely White Supremacist-type fascist-type movement during the inter-war period. During the early part of the previous Cold War, however, Australia had widespread immigration from all over the world; a number of fascists also became Australian citizens and ‘representatives … of other European fascist parties in Australia’, which morphed with their Australian counterparts. (4)
The Australian far-right, during the previous war, spread their tentacles widely and into established centre-right political organisations. Studies concluded that ‘conservative members of parliament … were supported by … neo-Nazis, racists, and other Eastern European immigrants whose roots lay in the fascist collaborationist armies of World War Two’. (5) Studies of the problem have found considerable evidence that ‘most migrants who can be described as Nazis entered Australia in the late 1940s and early 1950s. They were of many nationalities, not just Germans and Austrians … during the 1930s indigenous fascist organisations were established throughout Europe, most of which collaborated closely with the Germans during the war’. (6)
The fascist groups in Australia tended to fragment and following the death of one of their main leaders, Eric Ray Wenberg, in Rhodesia in 1972, however, entered into a long-term decline. (7) Wenberg was found with a million dollars in his possession when killed in a car crash; the large fortune had been accessed from European fascist sources to finance the Australian fascist movement, and their associates. The newly revamped NSN has been a new addition to the Australian far-right; their official funding sources are not disclosed.
From the statements the fifteen neo-Nazis made in court in Adelaide, furthermore, they appeared to not be necessarily ideologically linked to traditional concepts of fascism; one, who was in a leadership position, refused to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the court, a position more in line with Sovereign Citizens. (8) He also stated he would like to live in a democracy; the position of fascism remains essentially anti-democratic, with government in the hands of oligarchies and autocracies. (9) Interestingly, he refused bail and appeared content to remain in custody until further legal proceedings in March. He, subsequently, changed his mind the following day and was released on bail.
Information available on-line about the figure concerned was a member of the Australian Defence Force, 2012-14, and was military trained as infantry personnel; infantry is a major part of military operations, personnel are given firearms training.
Founding the NSN in early 2021, he has remained in the leadership position since that time. (10) It is a White Supremacist organisation and Australia Day has been used to publicise the achievement of white Australians as opposed to others, some of which regard it as celebrating an Invasion Day.
Eventually the other defendants all agreed to sign court papers offering bail; they were subsequently allowed to leave the City Watch House, one by one, in order to prevent them colluding with each other.
Media coverage of the developments revealed they had taken place during a planned three-day NSN national conference in Adelaide, thereby, explaining the inter-state visitors to Adelaide. Whether the conference proceedings were minuted or recorded for reference purposes, has yet to be established. If so, it should make interesting reading!
Linkage between the NSN and terrorism has not proved difficult to establish; moves were made to recruit Brenton Tarrant to the Lads Society, the main forerunner of the NSN in 2017. Tarrant, later in 2019, was responsible for the Christchurch terrorist attacks.
Elsewhere, information emerging about a caravan containing explosives and recorded details about targets linked to Jewish communities together with three arrests has raised serious questions about possible terrorist attacks in Australia. (11) The caravan had been abandoned at the side of a road about forty kilometres from Sydney between 7 December and 19 January; the Police Strike Force Pearl is still investigating the matter and has only released brief media releases pending forthcoming charges and court appearances.
1. See: Neo-Nazis unmasked, The Advertiser (Adelaide), 29 January 2025.
2. Ibid.
3. Nazis out of uniform, Denis Freney, (Sydney, 1985), page 5.
4. Ibid.
5. Inside the League, Scott Anderson and Jon Lee Anderson, (New York, 1986), page 59.
6. Sanctuary! – Nazi Fugitives in Australia, Mark Aarons, (Melbourne, 1989), page xix.
7. See: Nazis out of uniform, Denis Freney, (1985), page 5, and, Nazi dies with $1m, The Sunday Sun (Brisbane), Front Page, 20 February 1972.
8. Advertiser, op.cit., 29 January 2025.
9. Ibid.
10. Wikipedia.
11. See: ‘Van bomb targeted at synagogue’, The Australian, 30 January 2025.
