Samuel William Croll: Man rearrested during interview after being charged over alleged live-stream Nazi salute

A Perth man accused of performing a Nazi salute during a live stream was dramatically rearrested mid-interview while speaking to The West Australian on Monday. Samuel William Croll, 20, was charged after his June 4 live-stream of an interaction with a Jewish creator on randomised video-chat platform OmeTV came across the desk of police. Police allege Mr Croll performed a Nazi salute while also doing an act in order to incite “racial animosity or harassment”. “It will be alleged the man performed an antisemitic gesture, while using antisemitic language on a livestreaming website, before then publishing material related to the incident on social media,” a police spokeswoman said. Mr Croll told The West the allegations were a “non crime” and an “attack” over a “bit of comedy online” seconds before officers from the State Security Investigations Group knocked on his door on Monday. “They are accusing me of breaching my bail, it’s not a further charge, but they’ll do anything to shut you up,” Mr Croll said as he was escorted away in handcuffs. Mr Croll later appeared in the Fremantle Magistrates Court over claims he breached his bail by filming a video discussing his arrest, before it was ultimately shared online. Mr Croll argued the video was later posted online by somebody else, which included a link to his online legal fundraiser. He is facing two charges, including in which he allegedly made a Nazi gesture that would be visible in a public place and conduct intended to incite racial animosity or racist harassment. The 20-year-old has not entered pleas to the charges but told The West he intends to take the allegations to trial. In court, Mr Croll’s bail conditions were amended to prohibit him from using the internet to create material that is either shared by him or “not to cause any other person to do so on your behalf.” They were also amended to allow police to inspect his electronic devices anytime. He was released from custody and successfully shut down the prosecutors attempts to prohibit his access to electronic devices all together, with Mr Croll describing the attempt as “overly and unnecessarily punitive”. Magistrate Adam Hills Wright agreed with Mr Croll, saying the request was “quite correctly” labelled punitive. Mr Croll argues he was having a “debate” with the Jewish content creator — who was wearing a top which said “Zionist” — before the alleged offending occurred. “It’s new territory, I’ve been streaming for a bit . . . I was sleeping in bed, I had (the tactical response group), three men in camo with rifles come in, break down my door, as you can see, all while I was having a nap,” he said. “They pulled me out of bed, threw the zip tie cuffs on me, all over a live stream. “I never advocated for any violence, I simply stated my political beliefs and allegedly did a hand gesture. I mean, it’s a non crime, really, that’s what it is. “You’ve got (people) running around with machetes and that sort of stuff, they, you know, have their charges dropped for mental health.” “And then you have people like me, just doing a bit of comedy online.” Mr Croll said that “outside of the leftist extremists” lots of people still “believed what he said”. “They are afraid this will happen to them. . . even people that don’t agree with my sentiment tend to say, well, hang on, it’s a political expression — this goes against the implied right to political expression in the Australian Constitution,” he said. “At no point was I inciting racial animosity.” Mr Croll has gathered a significant online following under the name WhiteTrashWannabe and managed to raise more than $3500 to support his legal battle, after his followers were alerted to the news he had been charged. His social media has since been shut down. His bail conditions allow him to access the internet for reasons including employment, legal advice and banking. In an online video allegedly shared online following his arrest, Mr Croll said police seized his streaming equipment, electronic devices and a “piece of (electrical) tape which was supposedly a stick-on Hitler moustache.” “They were pointing rifles at me, I had a big red dot on my chest . . . it was ridiculous,” he said. Premier Roger Cook said the charges against Mr Croll proved the State Government’s tough hate symbol laws, which were introduced earlier this year, were working. “This is someone that used social media to essentially challenge those laws by putting it out there on display. This was picked up. The person’s been charged. They’ll now go to court,” he said. “These laws are in place to stop . . . people (from trying to sow division within our community).” He will appear again in court on July 4.