Shermon Burgess. Image via YouTube
The man who helped fuel Australia’s ultra embarrassing anti-Islam movement has quit. As Shermon Burgess, who calls himself “The Great Aussie Patriot” and founded the United Patriots Front (UPF), explained in a three-minute video, he’s quitting because another member made fun of him.
“It’s not because of media. It’s not because of death threats from Islam, even though I’ve received many of those. It’s because of dumb fuck patriots out there.”
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He was referring to another video by a member calling himself “The Great Aussie Potato.” In a 2:42 minute video the guy pretends to be Shermon and complains “there’s a lot of so called patriots out there hanging shit on me, putting shit on me, teasing me, mocking me… I want it all to stop and if it doesn’t, I’m telling me mum.”
Shermon Shermon has certainly spent some years styling himself as a guy who wouldn’t tell his mum. As we detailed back in July, Shermon began his career as a racist in a Neo-Nazi metal band, Eureka Brigade. He was also instrumental in starting the group Reclaim Australia, whose mission is to stop the construction of a mosque in Bendigo.
In terms of creating news-filler, Reclaim Australia has been incredible. Highlights include the group leaving clusters of mysterious black balloons tied around Bendigo, and staging a beheading on the steps of the city’s council offices. But when it came to delivering a cogent message, they couldn’t have done worse.
From the start Shermon and a fellow leader, Bendigo-based businesswoman Monika Evers, were at each other’s throats. In May this culminated in Shermon leaving to form his own group, the UPF.
Shermon and Monika then set about furthering their spat to the detriment of the movement, going so far as to stagger protest times so they wouldn’t be seen together. This might seem baffling to the general public who saw the two groups deliver the same message at the same place, but two hours apart.
Now Shermon has walked again. After losing his job as a New South Wales council worker, and bravely fighting Sharia imperialism, or whatever, the now former UPF leader explained he’s had enough. “When your own fucking people start turning against you and having a laugh… that’s where I draw the line.”
Shermon signs off his video by telling viewers that Blair Cottrell (who has previously spent 19 months in jail for arson) and Neil Erikson (who was convicted last year for stalking and threatening a Rabbi) will take over the UPF. “I know they’ll do the right thing,” says Shermon jabbing a finger at the camera. “And if they don’t I’ll kick them up the ass.”
There’s a long line of lamentation from Shermon’s supporters, with most telling him he did a good job. Shermon for Prime Minister,” writes one. “Run at the next election mate please stay involved in this movement… take a month off and clear your thoughts… but stay involved.”
Or just don’t.
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