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Jacob Hersant
Australian neo-Nazi and convicted criminal From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Jacob Hersant (born 1998 or 1999) is an Australian neo-Nazi, known as a figurehead of the National Socialist Network and the European Australian Movement. He was the first person to have been charged and convicted for publicly making a Nazi salute in the Australian state of Victoria.
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Early life and education
Jacob Hersant was born in 1998 or 1999.[1][2]
He attended University High School in Melbourne. He is reported to have written on Iron March: "I was an edgy Atheist leftist gamer at 14, then I started playing a lot of Company 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 film Adolf Hitler: The Greatest Story Never Told on YouTube, "I've been a bad bad goy ever since".[3]
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Views and associations
Hersant was formerly associated with the Antipodean Resistance and the Lads Society, along with Thomas Sewell.[3]
He is known as a neo-Nazi,[4] and figurehead of the National Socialist Network and the European Australian Movement. These groups promote white supremacy and far-right activism in Australia.[5][6]
In August 2021, in an undercover investigation by journalists, Hersant was recorded stating that Russian neo-Nazi Denis Kapustin "is a really good dude". Hersant was also recorded stating that he had put the Russian into contact with Jarrad Searby and that they were both into mixed martial arts.[7]
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 a Hitler soldier and what I'm doing is right".[8]
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May 2021: Cathedral Range assault on hikers
On 14 May 2021, Hersant was charged after a raid by counter-terrorism police at a house in the Melbourne suburb of Rowville.[9] Hersant and a co-offender, Thomas Sewell, were charged after an attack on three hikers in Victoria's Cathedral Range.[10] Up to 15 other masked men attacked two passengers in a car and smashed windows. On 1 August 2023, Hersant and Sewell pleaded guilty to one charge of violent disorder.[10] On 27 October 2023, Hersant and a co-offender were spared further jail time and sentenced to time already served.[11][12] Following the initial sentence, prosecutors appealed claiming that the sentencing was manifestly inadequate.[6]
October 2023: Nazi salute
Following being spared of further jail time, in relation to his attacking hikers,[11] Hersant performed a Nazi salute outside the court.[13][14] Hersant subsequently became the first person charged with making Nazi gestures in public, under new Victorian state laws.[15][16][5][6]
During the trial, lawyers for Hersant argued that the charge was not constitutionally valid as it violated the implied constitutional freedom of political communication.[17] On 8 October 2024, during a hearing in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, he was found guilty of the offence by a magistrate.[18][19] On 8 November 2024 Hersant was sentenced to one month in jail and then released on bail after appealing against the sentence.[20]
July 2024: Train station protest
In July 2024, Hersant and 40 masked men entered a Melbourne train station, carrying a banner that stated "Mass deportations now".[16] Following the event Hersant was arrested for "grossly offensive public conduct".[16]
Halloween 2024 Ku Klux Klan stunt
On 7 November 2024, Hersant was arrested along with three others in relation to a KKK Halloween costume stunt.[20][21] He is expected to be charged with grossly offensive behaviour.[20][21]
April 2025: Anzac Day disruption
On 25 April 2025, Hersant was escorted by Victoria Police away from an Anzac Day dawn service in Melbourne following disruptions to a Welcome 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 Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and other political leaders, as well as RSL Victoria president Robert Webster, many war veterans,[22][23][24] and Sunrise TV host Natalie Barr.[25]
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Personal life
As of April 2025[update] Hersant lives in Kensington, Melbourne.[22] He has a young son.[19][26]
See also
References
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