The identities of multiple members of a disturbing neo-Nazi group based in Melbourne have been outed, revealing the sinister spread of far-right extremism in Australia today.
Exhaustive work by anti-fascist researchers The White Rose Society has uncovered the names, faces and backgrounds of a string of young members of the National Socialist Network (NSN), which shot to prominence this month after members were pictured performing the Nazi salute on the steps of the state’s parliament at the Posie Parker anti-trans rally.
As a result of the NSN’s actions, Victorian Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes revealed that the state would increase current legislation banning the Nazi swastika to include the Nazi salute.
The NSN is an Australian neo-Nazi political organisation allegedly formed in 2020 from two far-right organisations, the Lads Society and the Antipodean Resistance.
While the NSN is based it Melbourne, it boasts of being active in all six state capitals and several regional cities across Australia.
The society’s latest work, shared exclusively with news.com.au, reveals the identities of four new NSN members who are followers of group leader Thomas Sewell, who was recently found guilty of affray and recklessly causing injury after assaulting a Channel 9 security guard.
It comes after The White Rose Society outed the identity of NSN member Nathan Bull in March, revealing him to be the son of a Victorian Police officer who had a history of carrying out “public displays of hate and intimidation”.
Ethan Hendren
Ethan Hendren is one of the NSN members who participated in the public Nazi salute in Melbourne earlier this month.
His social media accounts are littered with far-right ideologies, including anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, and he recently posted about the possibility of going to Ukraine to fight alongside fellow NSN member Daniel Newman.
He regularly wears necklaces bearing far-right symbols, including the Nazi swastika and a Mjölnir – or ‘Thor’s Hammer‘ – a pagan symbol often adopted by neo-Nazis.
Brodie Potts
A childhood friend of Nathan Bull, Potts recently updated his Facebook profile to include a link to an antisemitic Telegram channel.
He also appeared – unmasked – at the Posie Parker event, with The White Rose Society believing he deliberately unmasked himself in a display of solidarity with Bull, while most other NSN members kept their faces covered.
At the event, he was pictured standing beside NSN leader Jimeone Lyle Roberts, with a prominent Sonnenrad/Black Sun tattoo on display.
He also has a swastika tattooed on his chest.
Will Casdorff
Another NSN member seen at the anti-trans rally, Will Casdorff’s social media accounts regularly feature photos of him wearing neo-Nazi themed T-shirts, including one below from neo-Nazi active wear brand Will 2 Rise that bears an Adolf Hitler quote.
According to The White Rose Network, the T-shirts are “designed to not stand out too much for people who are not in the know, but are meant to signal very clearly to other neo-Nazis your commitment to Nazism”.
Casdorff has been spotted with NSN members at gatherings, events and public stunts, including supporting NSN leader Thomas Sewell at the Melbourne Magistrates Court, alongside Nathan Bull and Jimeone Lyle Roberts.
He was among a group of NSN members who created a public nuisance by taking over the diving board at Balwyn pools in January, and was also among a group of NSN members who held up the flag of a white supremacist group at a public park in Perth in early March.
Michael ‘Mickle’ Nelson
“Mickle”, as he is regularly referred to, was first brought to The White Rose Network’s attention as a “Christian fundamentalist and anti-vaxxer” before he “moved into incel [involuntary celibate] territory, and then became further radicalised into white nationalism and joined the National Socialist Network”.
He was seen attending anti-lockdown rallies in Melbourne carrying a crucifix during the pandemic, and his disturbing views are evident in a series of archived tweets, including his support of rape and violence against homosexuals, and hatred of women.
Like the others, he is a regular user of neo-Nazi symbols, attended the anti-trans rally where he was filmed dancing, and is also known to carry out bizarre pranks on public transport, such as acting like a cat or dog on Melbourne trams.
![Michael ‘Mickle’ Nelson 'moved into incel [involuntary celibate] territory, and then became further radicalised into white nationalism and joined the National Socialist Network'.](https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/32e0c60fe3b3b2f4e18ab50bfc1c8fc6)
‘Lifting the cover’
The White Rose Society told news.com.au in a statement that neo-Nazis “want to create environments in which anyone they deem to be undesirable will feel uncomfortable, be it through stickering, graffiti, or events like the Posie Parker anti-trans speak out on the steps of Parliament”.
“Neo-Nazis often feel comfortable doing this because they believe they are anonymous. We believe in lifting the cover of anonymity,” the group said.
The group claimed that at the “extreme end” of the neo-Nazi spectrum there were people like the Australian terrorist who murdered 51 people in Christchurch in 2019 – a crime which was “celebrated” by Thomas Sewell’s NSN followers.
“On a much less dramatic level though, the threat posed by mentally unstable young men regularly taking part in fight training for a coming race war is clear,” the group continued.
“The young age of these men makes them more susceptible to the cult-like grooming tactics of men like Thomas Sewell which pushes them into extremism and hatred.
“They take cues on acceptable behaviour from their leader Sewell.”
The White Rose Society said some NSN members had already caught the attention of ASIO, adding that the young leader of National Socialist Network’s Adelaide cell, Cameron Brodie-Hall, was currently imprisoned and awaiting trial on terrorism charges.
“A number of other members of the Adelaide NSN cell have been convicted of or are awaiting trial over terrorism-related offences,” the group said.
The network claimed the members had been carrying out “harassment and intimidation campaigns” against the public in Melbourne as well as in Adelaide, including at the Holocaust Museum.