A self-confessed white nationalist has been charged after he and his followers allegedly attacked an Aboriginal protest site.
Dozens of officers arrested Thomas Sewell outside Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday afternoon, along with two of his supporters.
Sewell was allegedly among about 40 men dressed in black accused of storming Camp Sovereignty on Sunday evening after attending an anti-immigration rally in the CBD.
Footage showed Sewell, associate Nathan Bull and others lashing out at people gathered at the site, where the remains of Indigenous people from 38 clans are located.
Victoria Police said three men – a 32-year-old from Balwyn, a 23-year-old from Mooroolbark and a 20-year-old from Ardeer – were later charged with violent disorder, affray and other offences after being interviewed over the King’s Domain incident.
Sewell was remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe, whose uncle Robbie Thorpe established the camp, welcomed Sewell’s arrest but accused police of dropping the ball by not keeping the neo-Nazis away.
“This is a hate crime,” she told the ABC.
“Camp Sovereignty is a sacred space. It is our place of worship.
“If it were a mosque or a synagogue, it would be taken more seriously.”
Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said the attack on Camp Sovereignty was like nothing she had seen in her nearly 10-year parliamentary career.
“These people brazenly and openly did not care if they were seen,” she said.
Sewell was in court on Tuesday for a hearing over charges of intimidating police and breaching multiple personal intervention orders.
He spent the morning cross-examining a witness as he represented himself.
Sewell asked the witness questions about rights of protesting groups, including neo-Nazis, and whether it was a conflict of interest for police to investigate themselves.
He returned to court after the lunch break, when prosecutor Melissa Mahady asked the magistrate to close the room to media and members of the public.
“The order is necessary to protect the safety of any person,” she told the court.
The court did not resume after that time.
Earlier, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan was speaking to journalists in Melbourne when Sewell interrupted.
Flanked by Bull, Sewell began yelling at Ms Allan and making false claims about protest rights.
Several men stepped in to keep Sewell away from the premier as she and two colleagues walked away.
“You’re a coward and we’re going to take this country back from politicians like you,” Sewell shouted.
Ms Allan promised to ban protests outside places of worship and stop demonstrators from wearing face coverings after Sewell led a series of marches with masked black-clad men.
The changes are yet to be introduced to state parliament and may be scaled back.
Tuesday’s confrontation lasted less than a minute, cutting short the media conference.
Sewell ended his tirade with “Heil Australia” and told journalists the interaction was a “coincidence”.
“We’re on our way to court right now,” he said.
In a statement, the premier confirmed she was “unharmed and undeterred” and said it was no surprise Nazis opposed her and the Labor state government.
“We know how these goons operate,” she said.
“They whip up fear to divide our society. They will fail.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labelled the confrontation “quite horrific” when speaking to Labor caucus members in Canberra.
Journalists were asking the premier about the “March for Australia” in Melbourne, where Sewell was controversially allowed to speak.
Ms Allan revealed she was reconvening the government’s anti-hate task force in response to the nationwide anti-immigration rallies.
