An Australian extremist’s interview outside a court has ignited outrage after he launched into an anti-India tirade, verbally abused a television reporter on camera, and accused the mainstream media of concealing “white replacement” – a term used by far-right commentators to refer to an idea that blames demographic shift for a shrinking share of White people in a population.
Thomas Sewell, widely described as a neo-Nazi activist, is facing charges of offensive behaviour linked to a 2024 rally protesting refugees seeking permanent residency in Australia.
“We don’t want Australia turning into a Third World country,” Sewell declared. “Don’t want it turning into India. We don’t want it turning into Sudan. We want it to remain Australian. That is the primary issue.”
The remarks, delivered during an interview with a news broadcaster, quickly went viral. Critics pointed not only to the racist nature of the comments but also to what they saw as insufficient pushback during the exchange.
Sewell framed his protest as opposition to what he called white replacement, claiming demographic change is the primary issue in Australia and the whole Western world.
“That is what we actually want to talk about,” he said. “They don’t want to talk about white replacement. We want to reverse the process.”
When the reporter suggested taxpayers were unhappy with his rally conduct, Sewell snapped back: “You don’t speak for the taxpayer, you’re part of a corporate entity that is anti-Australia.”
He went further, claiming that the average Australian does not want thousands or millions of illegal Indian immigrants staying in the country, adding that the protest targeted refugees demanding the right to remain.
The interview descended into chaos when bystanders interrupted. Sewell responded with personal insults directed at both the reporter and others present, at one point calling a man off-camera a fat, disgusting dork.
Asked directly whether he would plead guilty, Sewell replied, Not guilty, before hurling further abuse as the reporter ended the segment.
The rally at the centre of the charges was held in opposition to a refugee demonstration outside the office of Immigration Minister Tony Burke. Sewell alleged that protesters were self-entitled and accused authorities of targeting him unfairly for “just more nonsense offensive behaviour charges.”
Sewell’s court case is ongoing.
