Lads Society
The Lads Society is a far-right, white nationalist, Islamophobic extremist group founded by several former members of the United Patriots Front (UPF) in late 2017. It established club houses in Sydney and Melbourne. The Lads Society came to national prominence after it staged a rally in St Kilda, Victoria, targeting the local African Australian community. Attendees were seen making the Nazi salute and one was photographed wearing an SS helmet.
| Predecessor | United Patriots Front Australian Defence League Reclaim Australia |
|---|---|
| Successor | National Socialist Network European Australia Movement |
| Formation | 2017 |
| Founder | Thomas Sewell |
| Defunct | 2020 |
| 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 from Reclaim Australia | |
| Part of a series on |
| Far-right politics in Australia |
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In 2017, the group's leader, New Zealand-born Thomas Sewell asked Brenton Harrison Tarrant (who would later become the perpetrator of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings) to join the Lads Society, but Tarrant refused. The group's members and allies attempted to infiltrate the Young Nationals in New South Wales, and engaged in branch stacking at the May 2018 conference. Lads Society members attained leadership positions in the Young Nationals, but were later forced out of the party. The Melbourne Chapter has since become the National Socialist Network.