Global Courant
Symbols such as swastikas and SS badges are banned in Australia with up to 12 months in prison for offenders.
Australia plans to introduce new laws banning the public display and sale of Nazi symbols and paraphernalia as the country sees a rise in the far-right movement.
Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said Thursday the government will introduce laws criminalizing the display and sale of Nazi motifs, such as the swastika — one of the most recognizable symbols of Nazi propaganda — and the SS (Schutzstaffel) lightning insignia. the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party.
The law will prohibit the use of such symbols on flags, armbands or printed on clothing. Also, a ban on the Nazi salute is added to federal law.
“We have unfortunately seen an increase in the number of people displaying these vile symbols, symbols that have no place in Australia, they should be repulsive,” Dreyfus told Australian television channel Channel Seven.
“There is no place in Australia for symbols that glorify the horrors of the Holocaust,” Dreyfus said.
“And we will no longer allow people to profit from displaying and selling items that glorify the Nazis and their evil ideology,” he said.
The legislation will be presented to parliament next week and is expected to pass with opposition support.
Australia’s spy agency has warned that far-right groups are on the rise in Australia and have become more organized and visible.
In March, a group of neo-Nazis clashed with transgender rights protesters in Melbourne and members were seen raising their arms in a Nazi salute near the parliament building.
Mike Burgess, director of Australia’s security intelligence organization, said last month that fringe cells of Australian neo-Nazis appeared to be growing brazen, and that right-wing extremists make up about 30 percent of anti-terrorism cases in the country.
“In the case of the neo-Nazi groups, what we’re concerned about is people who get caught up in that ideology,” Burgess said.
An Australian-born white supremacist murdered 51 Muslim worshipers in the 2019 Christchurch Mosque massacre in New Zealand.
Dreyfus said all Australian states and territories have passed laws or announced plans to ban Nazi symbols, and that the proposed federal laws are consistent with state law.
Australia’s two most populous states – New South Wales and Victoria – have already restricted public display of Nazi symbols.
Those who violate the proposed laws could face up to 12 months in prison, while publicly displaying Nazi symbols for academic, educational, artistic, literary, journalistic or scientific purposes would also be exempt.
There will also be exemptions for the religious use of swastikas, which have spiritual significance in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.
Private ownership of Nazi paraphernalia — such as collectors of historical items and war memorabilia — will not be banned, although the sale of such items for money will be banned, Australian network 9News reported.
The federal government will proceed to ban Nazi symbols and promise violators one year in prison.
Attorney General Mark Dreyfus says there has been an increase in displays of the hate symbol across Australia. @ChristineAhern #9News
MORE: pic.twitter.com/8C8v3BiGii
— 9News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) June 8, 2023
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