UPDATE: Far right leader un-quits from United Patriots Front a day after resigning over Facebook mockery
UPDATE: The United Patriots Front leader has unquit just a day after he declared he was 'f---ing done' with the movement he claims to have started.
In a video uploaded to Facebook this afternoon Sherman Burgess said his earlier resignation had been brought about by financial stress. He thanked members of the group who he said had fundraised to remove the financial stress from his life.
Earlier, the leader turned former leader turned leader of the Australian far right anti-Islam group said he quit because he was angry that his fellow ‘patriots’ had been mocking him.
Sherman Burgess was the leader of the United Patriots Front, a splinter group of the Reclaim Australia movement, which has launched protests, rallies and stunts around the country.
He says he will now take a break.
He is also the self-styled ‘Great Australian Patriot’ who gained notoriety over a series of videos, most of which targeted Islam.
Yesterday evening Burgess took his bat and ball and went home.
But not before one final video taking aim at ‘f---wit patriots’.
“I’m going to handing full leadership of the UPF over to Blair Cottrell," he announced.
“It’s because of dumbf--- patriots out there.”
Sherman went on to explain that he had abandoned his Great Aussie Patriot Facebook page and the leadership of the group after a video was circulated by a man calling himself the Great Australian Potato. Sherman identified him as Mick Beeche.
In dueling videos, Beeche accused Sherman of bashing women, puppies and kittens. In turn Sherman said Beeche was a convicted killer, accusing him of stabbing a man to death in the past.
“Yet here are supposed patriots sharing this video and laughing about it,” Sherman said.
“I don’t mind putting up with death threats from muslims, I don’t mind with media but when your own f---ing people start turning against you and having a laugh and spreading left wing s--- after all the sacrifices you’ve made for them, that’s where I draw the line.
“I’m done. I’m f---ing done.”
This is the video that convinced Burgess there was more to life than rallying against regional mosques.
His heir-apparent Blair Cottrell will already be familiar to many who have followed the UPF and Reclaim Australia’s rise.
Cottrell was one of three grinning men who staged a graphic stunt outside of Bendigo’s council chambers when they travelled to the town to oppose a new mosque.
The trio filmed and posted a video online showing them hacking the head off of a mannequin. The video mimicked the graphic execution videos that have been circulated by Middle Eastern terrorist group ISIS.
Burgess’ resignation comes after a string of failed anti-Islam rallies across the country over the weekend.
Hundreds of far right protesters had been expected to turn out in Parramatta last Friday following the killing of police employee Curtis Cheng seven days earlier.
Instead, only about two dozen made the effort to appear. Their protest was dwarfed by anti-racism protestors who also assembled in the Sydney suburb.
