Australian Neo-Nazi Joel Davis Refused Bail a Second Time Over Threatening Messages Targeting MP Allegra Spender
Joel Davis, 30, a member of the National Socialist Network, was refused bail for a second time in relation to charges of using a carriage service to menace, harass, or offend. He is accused of encouraging others to send abusive and hateful messages to federal MP Allegra Spender.
Davis was arrested in Bondi on 20 November by the Australian Federal Police. The alleged messaging followed Spender's condemnation of an 8 November NSN protest outside NSW Parliament, where around 60 black-clad protesters chanted a Hitler Youth slogan. The protest also included signs expressing the group's opposition to a multicultural police state.
His initial bail refusal occurred in November due to concerns he might commit a serious offence; since then, the birth of his child has occurred. The defense argued that circumstances had changed, questioned the prosecution's case strength, and referenced the phrase "rhetorical rape" as political discourse, offering supporting books and articles.
Magistrate Susan McIntyre refused to grant bail, stating that the defense’s factors did not meet the high standard required for release. She noted that the words themselves supported the prosecution's case and highlighted the surrounding material on Davis's online feed and reactions. Davis appeared via video link from the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre, with the Commonwealth opposing his release.
