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| Predecessor | United Patriots Front Australian Defence League Reclaim Australia |
|---|---|
| Successor | National Socialist Network European Australian Movement |
| Formation | 2017; 8 years ago (2017) |
| Founder | Thomas Sewell |
| Defunct | 2020; 5 years ago (2020)[citation needed] |
| Type | White nationalist organisation |
| Purpose | Neo-Nazism,White nationalism |
Chairman | Thomas Sewell |
| Affiliations | United Patriots Front,Antipodean Resistance,Soldiers of Odin,Fraser Anning's Conservative National Party,True Blue Crew,Reclaim Australia |
Formerly called | United Patriots Front |
| Split fromReclaim Australia | |
TheLads Society is an Australianfar-right,white nationalist, Islamophobic extremist group founded by several former members of theUnited Patriots Front (UPF) in late 2017. It established club houses in Sydney and Melbourne.[1][2] The Lads Society came to national prominence after it staged a rally inSt Kilda, Victoria, targeting the localAfrican Australian community. Attendees were seen making theNazi salute and one was photographed wearing anSS helmet.[1]
In 2017, the group's leader, New Zealand-born[3]Thomas Sewell asked Brenton Harrison Tarrant (who would later become the perpetrator of the 2019Christchurch mosque shootings) to join the Lads Society, but Tarrant refused.[4] The group's members and allies attempted to infiltrate theYoung Nationals inNew South Wales, and engaged inbranch stacking at the May 2018 conference. Lads Society members attained leadership positions in the Young Nationals, but were later forced out of the party.[5] The Melbourne Chapter has since become theNational Socialist Network.
In 2017, members of the United Patriots Front,Blair Cottrell,Neil Erikson, Chris Shortis and former UPF lieutenantThomas Sewell, along with Nathaniel Anderson andJacob Hersant, members of the neo-NaziAntipodean Resistance, were involved in the creation of the Lads Society, a private far-right men-only club, with a base in Melbourne.
A Sydney club followed in April 2018, and there were plans to expand into other states. The clubs include a boxing gym where weekly "fight nights" take place and a library.[6][7]
In 2018, a local Sydney community group called Ashfield Community Action (ACA) formed in order to oppose the Lads Society. The group distributed posters that aimed to warn the suburb's residents about the group, stating that "The Sydney Branch is known to be led by committed Nazis", and that the organisation "has attracted the interest of hundreds of hard line far-right racists from around Australia". It accused the group of "training white men for racist violence" and called for it to be "shut down as soon as possible".[6]
Lads Society members provided a security detail for far-right white nationalistLauren Southern during her 2018 Australian tour. Photos from the event show members displaying thewhite power symbol hand signgang signal.[6]
In early January 2019, Erikson and Cottrell promised to unleash aCronulla-style race riot on Melbourne. During the rally a significant number of participants were documented givingNazi salutes.[8][9][10]
Undated videos leaked to the press in November 2019 revealed Sewell's aim to attract and recruit members from mainstream society under the guise of a men'sfitness club. His white supremacist agenda was clearly shown as he outlined plans which included the creation of"Anglo-European" enclaves in Australian cities, encouraging the "speed and ferocity of the decay" of society to help foment a "race war" by such tactics as exploiting the "African gangs" trope used by Home Affairs MinisterPeter Dutton and other mainstream politicians.[3]
