Jack van Tongeren

Template:Australian criminals Jack van Tongeren (legal name Peter Joseph Van Tongeren) is a white supremacist and extreme right wing Australian activist. He is the leader of the neo-Nazi Australian Nationalist Movement. He is noted for his extreme racist views. He served 12 years in prison from 1989-2001 for arson, after firebombing businesses owned by Asians in Western Australia.

"Jack" is a nickname acquired during his army service. As a child he suffered from discrimination because of his part-Asian ancestry. He served in Vietnam in 1969-70. It was after he left the army and went to Perth that he acquired his interest in fascism. Before that, he was a practicing Roman Catholic. The notorious Asian-hater is the son of a Javanese father. In 1989 Rudi van Tongeren confirmed that his son had disowned him. Rudi van Tongeren said his son had served in Vietnam and came back "abnormal".

Van Tongeren was initially a leading light in the Sydney based National Action (NA) neo-Nazi group in the early eighties. As with every almost other member that NA has ever had, Jack quit and went off to form his own organisation, believing NA were being soft on Jews.

Van Tongeren's biggest nemesis throughout the eighties, was and is Dr. James "Jim" Saleam, former leader and founder of National Action. For constantly reminding everyone of Van Tongeren’s Asian heritage, Saleam is labelled a "Sand Nigger" by the ANM, due to his own middle-eastern background.

In publicity material produced in the 1980s Van Tongeren described Hitler as the "great one" and referred to himself as simply "leader". Through the 1980s the ANM scattered WA with racist posters. The campaign of racial vilification turned uglier when the group began firebombing Asian restaurants and carried out burglaries to finance their operations. During this period, ANM member David Locke was murdered by two associates because they believed he was a police informer.

In July 2004, Van Tongeren reportedly sent a videotaped message to media outlets, attacking people he believed supported multiracialism. These included Western Australia Attorney-General Jim McGinty, Prime Minister John Howard, ASIO head Dennis Richardson "and all MPs who actively support Asianisation and multiracialism and the destruction of our Australian constitution and Aussie way of life". This tape, and police intelligence prompted protective details for the figures named and a wide ranging manhunt.

Van Tongeren was diagnosed as suffering from post traumatic stress disorder in 2003.

In August 2004, Van Tongeren was re-arrested and charged with plotting to commit four arson attacks and 19 counts of criminal damage (relating to a spate of racist grafitti near his home).

On February 20th 2006, Van Tongren, out on bail pending his trial, failed to report to Police. He is currently at large and possibly travelling with former ANM sidekick Matthew Billing.

External links

• "Threat to kill WA attorney", The Age, July 31, 2004

• "Supremacist leader in court", the Age, August 7, 2004

• http://www.alphalink.com.au/~radnat/kangarooreich/parttwentyfour.html

• http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t37223.html

References

• Van Tongeren Stella "The West Australian" 20.10.90, "The Age" (Melbourne) 20.10.90