Neo-Nazi attack on Kings Domain’s Camp Sovereignty condemned

Police Minister Anthony Carbines described the attack as disgraceful.

“It’s gutless, and it needs to be called out,” Carbines told ABC Melbourne Radio. “This is people intimidating and bringing violence, and we won’t stand for it. We’ll hold them to account.”

Yarran Couzens-Bundle, a Gunditjmara, Djab Wurrung and Yuin woman who witnessed the alleged assaults, on Monday described the ordeal.

“When they ran up the hill I thought, ‘Oh shit, we are going down’,” she told this masthead.

“It was a fully co-ordinated attack and fully led by Thomas Sewell. Sewer rat, we call him. He basically led the charge up the hill, and it was a full-blown, war charge.”

Aboriginal activists were bolstering their presence in case the neo-Nazis returned.

Palestinian activist Nathalie Farah was one of three women who approached the neo-Nazis on Sunday and asked them to leave.

“I put my hands up and said, ‘Please don’t do this, let’s have a chat, please continue to move on’. Then I just got a kick straight in the guts, and I was on the ground.”

She confirmed that one woman was hit in the head with a pole and another was repeatedly kicked. The woman with the head wound spent the night in hospital and returned to the camp on Monday with surgical staples in the back of her scalp. She asked not to be identified.

Farah recounted two smaller confrontations earlier in the day that preceded the late afternoon raid. The first was a brief encounter between Sewell and camp members in the morning, the second a more violent confrontation between camp members and a small group of neo-Nazis. She said police should have anticipated that neo-Nazis would return to the camp in greater numbers.

“What we would like to see is an investigation into who these people are and for some resources to be deployed to figuring out why this fascist ideology is continuing to spread,” Farah said.

Vision on social media shows dozens of men running uphill to confront those gathered at the site, stomping on a sacred fire and attempting to tear down the letters that spell out “Camp Sovereignty”. They also pulled down and set alight an Aboriginal flag.

Camp Sovereignty and Black Peoples Union said the men were armed with pipes, poles and tree branches and appeared to target women.

“The assault lasted around 10 minutes, with the Camp Sovereignty community defending the space at great personal cost, resorting to throwing logs collected for the sacred fire to hold the Nazis back,” the groups’ joint statement said. They expressed shock that nobody had been arrested.

Four people were injured, including two women hospitalised with head injuries, they said.

Ambulance Victoria said paramedics transported one woman in her 30s to The Alfred hospital with upper body injuries. She was in a stable condition. Police said a woman and a man were given medical assistance at the scene.

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The violent scenes were denounced by all sides of politics. “The first Australians were here before any migrant or descendant of migrants, and that just has no place,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told ABC TV.

Victorian Deputy Premier Ben Carroll said he was appalled at the attack and that the community should always stand up against self-declared neo-Nazis. “It just goes to show the level of ignorance that we’re dealing with … Do these people even understand the definition of Indigenous?”

Victorian Opposition Leader Brad Battin said not all of those who attended March for Australia were racist and that they had a right to be heard; however, hate speech and inciting violence was unacceptable.

“To have a person who is a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi to get up and speak [outside Parliament House] is a disgrace here in Victoria,” he said.

Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell said the violence pointed to a bigger problem. “Far-right extremism has been on the rise for years,” she said. “Now is the time for real, long-term investment to tackle far-right extremism at its roots.”

Camp Sovereignty was established at an ancient corroboree site which, in 1985, became a burial ground for the remains of 38 Aboriginal people returned by Museums Victoria. A ceremonial fire was first lit at the site during the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

Senator Lidia Thorpe, a Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurring woman, called for Sunday’s attack to be investigated as a hate crime.

“People are frightened and people are angry. So we need calm, and the only way we’re going to get that is for the authorities to do their job. Get these racist Nazis off the streets,” she told The Age. “I’m fearful for my people, and I’m fearful for what might happen next.”

Lidia Thorpe said Camp Sovereignty was a peaceful place to gather and reflect.

Reforms creating an offence for serious vilification come into effect later this month.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush, in a note to police members, thanked the officers who worked “the challenging and disappointing series of protests” with professionalism while they grieved the shooting murders of their colleagues, Detective Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, in Porepunkah last week.

“Despite having significant resources dedicated to the operation at Porepunkah, we were still able to deploy a large and highly visible presence in the city. The reason we have been able to turn out in such numbers, is largely due to people from across the state putting their hands up to get involved,” Bush told members on Monday.

“It has struck me since moving to Victoria that we have many groups motived to protest their causes, which of course is their right, but there is clearly a lack of regard and respect for fellow Melburnians.

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“I am deeply grateful and proud of all of you for how you have carried yourselves during these trying times. It would be easy for us to let our emotions get the better of us, but I have observed nothing other than professionalism and unity from our people in the last week. For that, I sincerely thank you.”

Twelve people were arrested at the March for Australia rally and counter-protests on Sunday.

Of those, seven were expected to be charged for assaulting police, resisting police, attempted robbery and failure to follow police direction. Five were issued with infringement notices for behaving in a riotous manner.

Another six people were removed under breach of the peace provisions.

“Police also had to use a range of tactical options including OC spray, baton rounds and public order munitions to prevent violence between protesters, some of whom were intent on creating conflict and violence,” a police spokesperson said.

Bottles were thrown at officers, injuring two.

Sewell faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday on an unrelated matter, contesting charges including intimidating a law enforcement officer and contravening two personal safety intervention orders, taken out to protect the policeman and a family member, by posting material about them on streaming platform Rumble.

Outside court, Sewell was asked about the Camp Sovereignty incident and claimed “small groups of patriots” were attacked after leaving the rally.

“I’m proud of basically everything that I do, but I’m not going to comment on any specifics because the police are probably investigating,” he said.

“But what I’ll say is I’ve only ever defended myself. If people want to come and attack me, they’re going to cop it and that’s what every communist has found … on the day.”

Anyone who witnessed the Camp Sovereignty incident, has footage or information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit an online confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

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