Adelaide, Australia – A man who was convicted of a violent assault in the central business district last year caused outrage when he performed a Nazi salute after leaving court. Kane Brennand-Reynolds, who pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, was involved in an altercation in May 2023. The court proceedings did not delve into his links to white supremacist groups, as he admitted to the assault charges early on.
The assault involved Brennand-Reynolds kicking a man in the head after a confrontation on King William Street. The court did not reveal the content of the stickers seen around the city, nor the cause of the altercation. Encrypted messages obtained by the ABC connected the 29-year-old to white supremacist groups, with discussions about placing racist stickers in Adelaide.
Brennand-Reynolds was spared jail time for the assault, prompting a post on the same Telegram channel that discussed his release as that of one of its “strongest soldiers.” The channel, linked to the National Socialist Network, shared a username with a now-deleted Instagram account featuring photos and videos of Brennand-Reynolds. The man had also been photographed wearing a t-shirt with the words ‘Nationalism Tradition’ and a picture of an eagle.
When asked by ABC if he was a Nazi, Brennand-Reynolds responded by performing what looked like a Nazi salute. His co-accused, Martin Quinn, also pleaded guilty to assault for delivering a series of punches to the victim.
Magistrate Simon Smart described the assault as “violent and unwarranted,” citing video evidence of the incident, which showed the victim being thrown to the ground multiple times and sustaining blows to the head. Brennand-Reynolds was handed a suspended term of imprisonment and a good behavior bond, while Quinn was fined $1,000 with no conviction recorded against his name.
The South Australian government recently announced plans to ban the public display of Nazi symbols and salutes, with proposed penalties of up to $20,000 or one year in jail. This move aims to align SA with other Australian states and territories to deter the display of such offensive and racist symbols.