The arrival of a neo-Nazi recruitment leaflet through a mailbox has shocked and dismayed residents of a town in the region.
The letter from the Australian European Movement, founded by high-profile neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell, was distributed to residents in the Cairns suburbs of Redlynch, Smithfield, Kewarra Beach and Edmonton in north Queensland.
The letterhead contains neo-Nazi symbols and the usual motto: “blood and honor.”
He tells readers that “white Australians are becoming a minority” and calls for “the construction of a physical and politicised white Australian community” for the “preservation and advancement of white people in Australia”.
Redlynch resident Rob Dwyer said The Cairns Mail During the week he was ‘upset’ upon receiving the letter saying that He believed that he was delivered ‘under the cloak of darkness’.
“It sounds like they’re telling people to train for genocide; it’s disgusting,” Dwyer said of the letter.
“I immediately felt physically sick and I think of all my neighbors – Pakistanis, Indians, Koreans and Japanese – who have probably gotten this as well, so it’s just unbelievable.”
The Queensland Police Service (QPS) has confirmed it is investigating the incident after it was reported by concerned residents.
The letter, left in mailboxes in the far north Queensland city of Cairns, called for the “preservation and advancement of the white people in Australia”.
A Queensland Police spokesman said: ‘The QPS is well placed to monitor and assess both individuals and groups who may pose a threat to the safety and security of all Queenslanders.’
‘All cases of threats against cultural and religious communities are treated with the utmost seriousness.
‘The QPS remains committed to community safety and collaborating with people across our culturally diverse society to help foster better relationships, advance mutual partnerships and develop platforms for community engagement.’
Identical or almost identical letters have been left in letterboxes in other Australian cities and regions, such as the Gold Coast in south-east Queensland, in 2020.
At a 2022 meeting of the European Australia Movement in Melbourne, there was outrage after a photograph was taken of a boy standing in front of the masked group and next to a bare-chested man with a swastika tattoo.
The group has been seen several times with members displaying neo-Nazi symbols or giving the Nazi salute with their arms outstretched, with Sewell prominently featured.
Sewell is a frequent presence at neo-Nazi marches and demonstrations.
Thomas Sewell (pictured, centre), who founded the European Australian Movement, is a frequent participant in neo-Nazi demonstrations and marches.
Last October, he was released from jail by the County Court of Victoria on Friday after pleading guilty to one count of violent disorder over a violent confrontation with hikers at Cathedral Range State Park, northeast of Melbourne, on May 8, 2021.
Between 10 and 15 members of Sewell’s group confronted another group of six friends staying nearby and decided to climb Mount Sugarloaf.
The court was told the incident began when one of the hikers filmed the men, many of whom were wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the Celtic cross, a symbol of white supremacy, after spotting a sticker reading “Australia for the white man” on a nearby tree.
The group, including Sewell, began kicking and punching a vehicle as the hikers tried to leave, breaking windows and taking their cellphones.
Sewell, who had spent more than six months in pretrial detention after his arrest, was sentenced to one month and seven days in jail, time served.