Christchurch massacre in neo-Nazi ‘extortion demand’ over beer spitting in the Irish Times Pub

A neo-Nazi allegedly extorted hundreds of dollars from the owner of a pub after a bartender recognised a far-right tattoo on the shoulder of a patron and spat in their drink.

Local neo-Nazis in Melbourne are said to have bragged on encrypted social media channels about how Irish Times Pub manager Nitin Parashar forked over $651 after being threatened with a slew of negative Google reviews and complaints. 

The sum of $651 is thought to have been a reference to the 51 people killed in the Christchurch Mosque shooting. 

The alleged threat rose from a dispute between a bartender and neo-Nazis at the pub in Melbourne’s CBD.  

Neo-nazi Jimeone Roberts was drinking there on August 2 with fellow neo-Nazis when they confronted a bartender.

The male Irish bartender spat in Roberts’ drink after noticing a ‘black sun’ tattoo on his shoulder. Two bartenders were later fired over the incident. 

The tattoo is similar to that used by the SS military unit in Nazi Germany and was only recently removed from the insignia of far-right Ukrainian unit the Azov Battalion. It features a black circle surrounded by 12 radial sig runes.

The confrontation degenerated into a slanging match including multiple homophobic slurs from Roberts.

Roberts was recently sentenced to a community corrections order after he stuck up countless anti-Semitic posters around Melbourne. 

In private channels, on apps favoured for their lack of censorship, Melbourne neo-nazis bragged over the alleged extortion of the pub which allegedly included threats, demands for a public apology, and financial compensation to the tune of $651 from the pub owner to Roberts’ group.

Police are now investigating the alleged demands following the spitting incident. 

‘It’s believed a number of men became involved in an altercation with a staff member and have subsequently made a number of demands from the business,’ Victorian police said.

‘As the matter is currently being assessed, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.’

The Irish Times pub’s Facebook apology went up seven days after the incident and has since been taken down.

In the apology, Roberts and his friends were mentioned by name including Neil Erikson, who has been convicted over inciting serious contempt for Muslims and faces charges after marching into a queer-friendly church.

Thomas Sewell was also mentioned, despite not having been at the pub. He is the leader of an extensive Australian far-right network and faces charges over the alleged attacking and robbing of a group of hikers in 2021.

He was also filmed allegedly assaulting a Channel Nine security guard, with a video online showing a man off-camera telling the black American guard to ‘dance monkey’ before Sewell allegedly starts hitting him. 

He is a self-confessed white supremacist and ‘soldier for the white race’. 

‘The Irish Times Management would like to take this opportunity to apologize (sic) to Jimeone Roberts and his friends – Stefanos, Neil Erikson, Thomas Sewell, and Ricky T. for the incident that took place on 2nd August 2022,’ the statement read.

‘Following the incident, the Irish Times Management took immediate disciplinary action by terminating the two employees involved in the event which violated The Irish Times’ workplace code of conduct.

‘The Irish Times Management team strongly disapproves of the ex-employee’s unprofessional conduct by spitting into the patron’s drink as a consequence of a discussion with the patron over a political topic.’ 

‘We do not want to be in the centre of any political views or topics,’ pub management also said separately. 

Footage shared to social media and obtained by Daily Mail Australia shows the group blasting the worker after the drink was spat-in, with the bartender then repeatedly asking them to leave.

‘That’s his personal choice, he can do whatever he wants,’ a friend of Roberts is heard saying to the bartender.

Roberts then starts to verbally abuse the worker calling him a ‘fa***t’.

‘I don’t like fa***ts, you don’t like Nazis, I didn’t start s**t with you for being a f**king fa***t’,’ he says.

His friend then continues to berate the bartender, saying it shouldn’t matter what Mr Roberts was wearing, his drink should never have been spoiled.

‘It was a sign of disrespect,’ the bartender replies.

‘This is the problem at the end of the day, it’s called disrespect, you’re supposed to be doing a job,’ the friend hits back.

‘It makes me feel ill. I’m frustrated at the fact you think it’s appropriate.’

The group eventually leave the pub with one asking the bartender what time he finishes so they can ‘meet up somewhere’.

Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission and Australia’s leading anti-hate campaigner said he imagined people would be ‘applauding’ the bartenders.

‘I understand the disgust and rage they felt when they realised that they are serving hateful individuals who were probably toasting Hitler and fantasising about rounding up Australian Jewish men, women and children and taking them into open fields to be shot,’ he said.

‘This incident is a reminder that neo-Nazism is alive in our state and should send a chill down every Victorian’s spine since the rhetoric that these hardcore bigots are spewing online, can cross the line into real-world lethal attacks.’

Dr Abramovich added spitting into a drink was not appropriate.

‘Still, there are more effective and appropriate ways to fight the evil they represent than spitting into their beers,’ he said.