Jacob Hersant | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1999 or 2000 (age 26–27)[1] |
| Organization(s) | National Socialist Network (2020–present) Antipodean Resistance (formerly) |
| Criminal status | Guilty |
| Children | Yes |
| Criminal charge | Performing aNazi salute in public |
| Details | |
| State | Victoria |
Jacob Hersant (born 1999 or 2000) is an Australianneo-Nazi and a prominent figure in theNational Socialist Network and theEuropean Australian Movement. He was the first person convicted underVictorian laws banningNazi gestures, including the public performance of theNazi salute.
Hersant has participated in violent conduct, notably a May 2021 attack on hikers atCathedral Range alongside co-offenderThomas Sewell; the assault resulted in an August 2023 conviction of both men for violent disorder. However, they avoided further jail time following an appeal in October. That same month, Hershant performed a Nazi salute in public and was arrested. At an appeal against his conviction, a county court judge ruled that Hersant was guilty, and on 4 February 2026, he was sentenced to one month in prison and fined $1000.
Jacob Hersant was born in 1999 or 2000.[1] He attendedUniversity High School inMelbourne. He is reported to have written on far-rightIron March forum "I was an edgy Atheist leftist gamer at 14, then I started playing a lot ofCompany of Heroes and that got me interested in World War 2. I always liked the Germans better since I have German heritage", and went on to write that after coming across the 2013 filmAdolf Hitler: The Greatest Story Never Told onYouTube, "I've been a badbad goy ever since".[2]
On 14 May 2021, Hersant was charged after a raid by counter-terrorism police at a house in the Melbourne suburb ofRowville.[3] Hersant and a co-offender, Thomas Sewell, were charged after an attack on three hikers in Victoria's Cathedral Range.[4] Up to 15 other masked men attacked two passengers in a car and smashed windows.[5] After the windows were smashed, Hersant reached in and attempted to remove the keys from the car. A judge later described the incident as a "terrifying, intimidating and violent incident".[1]
On 1 August 2023, Hersant and Sewell pleaded guilty to one charge of violent disorder.[4] On 27 October 2023, Hersant and a co-offender were spared further jail time and sentenced to time already served. He was also sentenced to a 14-month community corrections order.[5][1][6] Following sentencing, prosecutors appealed claiming that the sentencing was manifestly inadequate.[7]
Following being spared of further jail time, in relation to his attacking hikers,[5] Hersant performed aNazi salute outside the court.[8][9] After the act, he said "Australia for the white man. Heil Hitler, heil Hitler".[1] Hersant subsequently became the first person charged with making Nazi gestures in public, under new Victorian state laws.[10][11][12][7]
During the trial, lawyers for Hersant argued that the charge was notconstitutionally valid as it violated the implied constitutionalfreedom of political communication.[13] On 8 October 2024, during a hearing inMelbourne Magistrates’ Court, he was found guilty of the offence.[14][15] On 8 November 2024 Hersant was sentenced to one month in jail and then released on bail after appealing against the sentence.[16]
Hersant's appeal was heard over three days in October. During the appeal, he argued that he had not performed a Nazi salute and, alternatively, that if he had, it constituted constitutionally protected political expression. At a hearing on 19 November 2025,County Court Judge Simon Moglia ruled that Hersant had deliberately performed a Nazi salute and that it was not protected expression.[17] On 4 February 2026, Hersant was sentenced to one month in jail and fined $1,000 for breaching the community corrections order placed on him and Sewell following their involvement in the Cathedral Range attack.[1]
In July 2024, Hersant and 40 masked men entered a Melbourne train station, carrying a banner that stated "Mass deportations now". Following the event Hersant was arrested for "grossly offensive public conduct".[11]
On 7 November 2024, Hersant was arrested for allegedly taking part in aHalloween stunt in which he wore aKu Klux Klan costume. During the incident, he is accused of racially abusing members of the public. His co‑accused, Nathan Bull, allegedly woreblackface and a noose.[16][18][19] On 3 February 2026, Hersant appeared in court and requested an adjournment, as he expected to be jailed the following day in relation to another matter. Bull did not attend the hearing, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.[19]
On 25 April 2025, Hersant was escorted byVictoria Police away from anAnzac Day dawn service in Melbourne following disruptions to aWelcome to Country. The shouting by the small group of far-right extremists was drowned out by applause by many in the 50,000-strong crowd, and condemned by Prime MinisterAnthony Albanese, Opposition LeaderPeter Dutton and other political leaders, as well asRSL Victoria president Robert Webster, manywar veterans, andSunrise TV hostNatalie Barr.[20][21][22][23]
In September 2025 Hersant was charged with "behaving in an offensive manner while in a public place, offend against decency while in the Shrine of Remembrance reserve and taking part in a disturbance in the reserve". At a hearing in November 2025, Hersant indicated that he intended to plead not guilty to the charges.[24]
Hersant was formerly associated with theAntipodean Resistance and theLads Society, along withThomas Sewell.[2] He is known as a neo-Nazi, and figurehead of the National Socialist Network and the European Australian Movement. These groups promotewhite supremacy andfar-right activism in Australia.[7][12][25]
In August 2021, in an undercover investigation by journalists, Hersant was recorded stating that Russian neo-NaziDenis Kapustin "is a really good dude". Hersant was also recorded stating that he had put the Russian into contact withJarrad Searby and that they were both intomixed martial arts.[26]
After his conviction in 2024 for performing a Nazi salute in public, he stated to journalists "I'm ready to go to jail, because I'm aHitler soldier and what I'm doing is right".[27]
As of April 2025[update], Hersant lives inKensington, Melbourne.[20] He has a young son.[15][28]
