ADELAIDE, Australia – An Adelaide man who pleaded guilty to assault causing harm for a violent attack in the city’s Central Business District in May last year, shocked onlookers as he performed a Nazi salute while leaving court.
Kane Brennand-Reynolds, convicted of assault causing harm for kicking a man in the head, was not scrutinized for his ties to white supremacist groups in the Adelaide Magistrates Court, as he pleaded guilty to the charges early. The victim sustained a black eye and CCTV footage captured the “violent and unwarranted” assault.
The ABC uncovered encrypted messages linking the 29-year-old to white supremacist groups and the National Socialist Network. The state government plans to outlaw public Nazi displays in South Australia next year, following the controversial incident.
Brennand-Reynolds’s co-accused, 19-year-old Martin Quinn, also pleaded guilty to the assault for delivering a series of punches to the victim. The court sentenced Brennand-Reynolds to a suspended imprisonment term of two months and 24 days and a good behavior bond, while Quinn was fined $1,000 with no conviction recorded against his name.
In response to the incident, the South Australian government has announced intentions to introduce a bill to prohibit the public display of Nazi symbols and the Nazi salute. Under the proposed law changes, individuals could be fined up to $20,000 or face one year in prison, aligning South Australia with other Australian states and territories.