Australian nationalists celebrating Australia Day in Adelaide have been arrested by police who cordoned off the city centre to protect a state-sanctioned anti-Australian “survival day” march organised by indigenous activists.
About 70 members of right-wing activist group the National Socialist Network (NSN) gathered at the National War Memorial at 11am on Sunday where leader Thomas Sewell started to make a speech before being arrested part way through.
“I am under arrest for celebrating Australia Day,” he said as he was put in handcuffs.
Others were arrested while trying to join the group, and prominent Melbourne-based activist Joel Davis told Noticer News police were aggressive and made between 10 and 15 arrests before he led the remainder towards the Light Horse Memorial while singing Waltzing Matilda.
Video obtained by Noticer News shows nationalist activist Thomas Sewell being arrested seconds into a speech in front of the National War Memorial in Adelaide today.
“I am under arrest for celebrating Australia Day”, he says as police handcuff him. pic.twitter.com/Ac6unpgmTQ
— The Noticer (@NoticerNews) January 26, 2025
Members of the National Socialist Network sing Waltzing Matilda as they march through the Adelaide CBD on Australia Day.
Police later made multiple arrests. pic.twitter.com/czRIgdWKsX
— The Noticer (@NoticerNews) January 26, 2025
(Supplied)
(Supplied)
The black-clad group also chanted “Australia for the White man”, and “we come from the land Down Under, you’d better run, you’d better take cover” while accompanied by a drummer.
South Australia Police said later confirmed that 16 males between the ages of 16 and 58 had been arrested. Eight were charged with “fail to cease loiter”, seven with “possess article of disguise”, one with “assault police”, one with “refuse name and address” and one with “use Nazi symbol”.
They have been refused bail and will spend two nights in jail before appearing in the Adelaide Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
“We just want to celebrate Australia Day, but we’re not allowed to,” Mr Davis told reporters at the scene.
“This is Australia 2025, what a joke.”
Mr Davis said police also seized the group’s banner, which said “Happy White Australia Day”, and megaphone, and prevented them from entering the CBD on multiple occasions to keep them away from the government-approved aboriginal protest.
“According to the South Australian government, celebrating Australia Day is illegal but the whole centre of the city has been shut down to accommodate an anti-Australian ‘Invasion Day’ protest. Outrageous!” he wrote on social media.
Thousands of protestors have taken to the streets for Adelaide’s Survival Day march from Victoria Square. #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/Do2SdKN7Fg
— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) January 26, 2025
The City of Adelaide did not hold an Australia Day celebration this year, instead hosting an event for far-left indigenous activists called Mourning in the Morning where attendees were allowed to display the anti-Australian and ahistorical slogan “always was, always will be” and waved aboriginal flags.
The arrests come after South Australia Police prevented at least nine members of the local chapter of the NSN from attending the rally by charging them with “carrying an article of disguise” over a protest earlier this month where they unfurled a banner saying “mass deportations now”.
They were given strict bail conditions preventing them from entering the CBD, contacting other members of the group, hiding their identities at protests and wearing NSN or associated political insignia.
In relaxing bail conditions for one of the men, a magistrate noted that the police appeared to be trying to prevent them from attending the Australia Day rally.
