Photo: Nick Monro
The prime minister says neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell is an Australian citizen, and is not getting into calls from Australians to deport him.
More than 91,000 people have signed a petition asking the Australian government to deport Sewell, who was born in New Zealand but moved to Australia as a child.
Sewell has been charged with 25 offences related to an alleged attack on a First Nations camp in Melbourne, including violent disorder, affray, and assault.
Christopher Luxon says he'll let things play out.
"He sounds like a pretty awful human being, and he's an Australian citizen, so I'll let that run its course."
The Australian Citizenship Act allows for the cancellation of a dual-national's citizenship - if the person has been convicted of serious offences such as treason, espionage, and certain terrorism offences. Sewell reportedly holds dual citizenship.
The act allows the Australian home affairs minister to apply for a court order to cancel a dual-national's citizenship, but certain conditions must be met. They include the court imposing a period of imprisonment of three years or more, the person committing a serious offence, and their conduct being serious enough it demonstrates they have "repudiated their allegiance" to Australia.
The offences include certain terrorism offences, treason, espionage, foreign interference, advocating mutiny, foreign incursions and recruitment offences, and certain explosives and lethal devices offences.
Neo Nazi Thomas Sewell (C) leads his supporters during a "March for Australia" anti-immigration rally in Melbourne. Photo: AFP / WILLIAM WEST
On Sunday, about 40 men dressed in black violently attacked a First Nations protest camp following the anti-immigration March for Australia rally. Vision from the attack showed Sewell was part of the group.
The 32-year-old also made headlines after gate-crashing a press conference with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan.
He shouted insults and accusations at Allan, who quickly left the area while a security detail blocked the men.
Police had said that they were aware of the incident, noting that the premier's security team had intervened.
In a video posted to X (formerly Twitter), Allan said she "never expected to come face-to-face with a neo-Nazi … at a press conference".
During a caucus meeting in Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was "quite horrific" to hear about Sewell's actions at the press conference.
Australia has for years deported New Zealand-born people back, even if they had little connection to their place of birth.
Deporting Sewell would not be as simple as the deporations under section 501 of Australia's Migration Act however, as he has Australian citizenship.
- RNZ / ABC News
