Jacob Hersant (born 1998 or 1999) is an Australian

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

, 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 The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened han ...

in the Australian state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

Early life and education

Jacob Hersant was born in 1998 or 1999. He attended

University High School University High School may refer to: Australia * University High School, Melbourne, Victoria Canada * University Hill Secondary School, Vancouver, British Columbia United States Arizona * University High School (Tolleson) * University High Sc ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. He is reported to have written on

Iron March Iron March was a far-right neo-fascist and Neo-Nazi web forum open from 2011 to 2017. The site attracted neo-fascist and Neo-Nazi members, including militants from organized far-right groups and members who would later go on to commit acts of t ...

: "I was an edgy Atheist leftist gamer at 14, then I started playing a lot of ''

Company of Heroes ''Company of Heroes'' is a real-time strategy video game series developed by Relic Entertainment. The series is set during World War II. Games ''Company of Heroes'' The first game in the series was released on September 12, 2006, in Nort ...

'' 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 YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

, "I've been a bad bad goy ever since".

Views and associations

Hersant was formerly associated with the

Antipodean Resistance Antipodean Resistance (AR) is an Australian neo-Nazi hate group. The group, formed in October 2016, uses the slogan "We're the Hitlers you've been waiting for" and makes use of Nazi symbols such as the swastika and the Nazi salute. AR's logo ...

and the Lads Society, along with Thomas Sewell. He is known as a neo-Nazi, and figurehead of the National Socialist Network and the European Australian Movement. These groups promote

white supremacy White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

and

far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...

activism in Australia. 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 Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

. 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 Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

soldier and what I'm doing is right".

Activities

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 Rowville is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 27 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Knox local government area. Rowville recorded a population of 33,571 at the 2021 census. Rowv ...

. Hersant and a co-offender, Thomas Sewell, were charged after an attack on three hikers in Victoria's

Cathedral Range The Cathedral Range is a mountain range immediately to the south of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. The range is an offshoot of the Sierra Nevada. The range is named after Cathedral Peak, which resembles a cathedral spire. Geograp ...

. 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. On 27 October 2023, Hersant and a co-offender were spared further jail time and sentenced to time already served. Following the initial sentence, prosecutors appealed claiming that the sentencing was manifestly inadequate.

October 2023: Nazi salute

Following being spared of further jail time, in relation to his attacking hikers, Hersant performed a

outside the court. Hersant subsequently became the first person charged with making Nazi gestures in public, under new Victorian state laws. During the trial, lawyers for Hersant argued that the charge was not

constitutionally A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

valid as it violated the implied constitutional

freedom of political communication Within Australian law, there is no freedom of speech. Instead, the Australian Constitution implies a freedom of political communication through an interpretation of Sections 7 and 24 of the Constitution. Background History Related High Cou ...

. On 8 October 2024, during a hearing in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, he was found guilty of the offence by a magistrate. On 8 November 2024 Hersant was sentenced to one month in jail and then released on bail after appealing against the sentence.

July 2024: Train station protest

In July 2024, Hersant and 40 masked men entered a

train station, carrying a banner that stated "

Mass deportations Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or is under sen ...

now". Following the event Hersant was arrested for "grossly offensive public conduct".

Halloween 2024 Ku Klux Klan stunt

On 7 November 2024, Hersant was arrested along with three others in relation to a KKK

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

costume stunt. He is expected to be charged with grossly offensive behaviour.

April 2025: Anzac Day disruption

On 25 April 2025, Hersant was escorted by

Victoria Police Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''. , Victor ...

away from an

Anzac Day Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and ...

dawn service in Melbourne following disruptions to a

Welcome to Country A Welcome to Country is a ritual or formal ceremony performed as a land acknowledgement at many events held in Australia. It is an event intended to highlight the cultural significance of the surrounding area to the descendants of a particular A ...

. 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 Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been the Leaders of the Australian Labor Party#Leader, leader of the Labor Party si ...

, Opposition Leader

Peter Dutton Peter Craig Dutton (born 18 November 1970) is an Australian former politician who served as the Leader of the Opposition (Australia), Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party from 2 ...

and other political leaders, as well as RSL Victoria president Robert Webster, many

war veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the armed forces. A topic of interest for resea ...

s, and ''

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...

'' TV host

Natalie Barr Natalie Ann Barr (born 19 March 1968) is an Australian television presenter, journalist, and news presenter. Barr is currently co-host of the Seven Network's breakfast television program ''Sunrise'' alongside Matt Shirvington. She was previous ...

Personal life

Hersant lives in

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

, Melbourne. He has a young son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hersant, Jacob Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 1990s births Neo-Nazism in Australia Alt-right activists Anti-indigenous racism in Australia Australian criminals Australian neo-Nazis Australian people convicted of assault Australian prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Victoria (state) 21st-century Australian criminals