A 30-year-old man has been arrested and charged by Australian federal police after allegedly sending a menacing message to a federal MP who condemned a neo-Nazi protest. The man, arrested in the Sydney suburb of Bondi, is accused of encouraging abusive and hateful messages to be directed at the politician.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) seized the man's electronic devices on Thursday and charged him with one count of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence. The alleged message followed the MP's condemnation of a National Socialist Network protest outside the New South Wales parliament on 8 November 2025.
Detective Superintendent Jeremy Staunton of the AFP said there was no place for advocating violent extremism or hatred in Australia. 'The AFP supports freedom of speech and political expression but let it be clear any alleged criminal behaviour, including threats and harassment, will not be tolerated,' he said.
The AFP has not confirmed which federal politician the messages referred to, but independent MP for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, confirmed on Monday that a threat to her had been referred to police. Spender had described the 8 November rally as 'appalling' and 'seeking to spread vile hatred against Jewish people'.
