Stephen Wells, the Busselton man who ran for local council in 2023 after writing an article about how local government could be infiltrated by people with extreme right wing views, is one of the alleged neo-Nazis arrested in Adelaide over the weekend.
On Sunday South Australian police 15 men and one youth – all alleged to be members of the National Socialist Network. The men were counter-protesting an Invasion Day rally that argued for the date of Australia Day to be moved. The Adelaide Advertiser reported on the identities of those arrested.
The men were charged with a range of offences from carrying a disguise to public display of a Nazi symbol. The group of men arrested includes far-right activist Thomas Sewell and Western Australian man Stephen Wells.
Wells was charged with loitering and appeared in an Adelaide court on Monday. He did not make an application for bail and was remanded in custody to reappear in March.
In court he declared that he wanted to make a formal complaint against the police alleging “unlawful conduct” including “kidnap, assault, withholding medical attention and deprivation of liberty.”
When Wells ran for the City of Busselton council in 2023 he denied he was keeping his views about the LGBTIQA+ communities, women and Jewish people from voters.
During his campaign it was highlighted that he’d previously appeared in a video podcast where he said getting voted on to the council is easy because people don’t check the background of candidates, allowing people’s nationalistic and racist views to be undetected. Wells is a prominent campaigner against Drag Queen story time events.
The group’s leader Thomas Sewell was also remanded in custody after he refused to sign a bail agreement that included the conditions that he not enter the Adelaide CBD and refrain from communicating with other members of the group. He said his treatment amounted to “outright political persecution”.
Also in the arrested group was 23-year-old’s Ethan Hendren and Nathan Bull, they had previously been identified as members of the group who appeared adjacent to Kellie-Jay Keen’s 2023 Let Women Speak rally in Melbourne where the group performed Nazi salutes on the steps of the Victorian parliament.
James Allan Holliday from Marangaroo was another Western Australian among the group of men arrested and charged. He is facing charged of carrying and offensive weapon or article of disguise, use of a Nazi symbol and giving a Nazi salute.
Holliday has been released on bail to return to court in March, and has been banned from communicating with any other members of the National Socialist Network. He has also been banned from possessing a firearm, an article of disguise or returning to Adelaide CBD.
Mason Robbins, 30, from Clarkson was also faced court. He has yet to plead on one count each of carrying an offensive weapon or article of disguise, and of displaying a Nazi symbol or salute. He was given bail to reappear in March.
Magistrate Luke Davis released Robbins on $600 bail, banning him from possessing firearms, article of disguise or returning to the Adelaide CBD.
