Australia to introduce national ban on Nazi symbols

Australia has announced it will introduce a national ban on Nazi symbols, in an effort to crack down on far-right groups.

Public displays of the swastika or SS symbols will be punishable by up to a year in prison. However the new laws will not cover the Nazi salute.

Nazi symbols are already banned in many states, but this means they won’t be allowed anywhere, the government says.

The move comes amid a resurgence in far-right activity in recent months.

In March, a group of neo-Nazis appeared at a rally in Melbourne being held by Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull – who is known for her opposition to transgender rights – and performed Nazi salutes on the steps of the Victorian Parliament.

Ms Keen-Minshull denied any connection to the group, but the event triggered a political backlash with calls for greater efforts to tackle displays of Nazi regalia.

“There is no place in Australia for symbols that glorify the horrors of the Holocaust,” Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said, announcing the new legislation.

“We will no longer allow people to profit from the display and sale of items which celebrate the Nazis and their evil ideology,” he added.

The ban includes the trade and public display of flags, armbands, t-shirts, insignia and the publication of symbols online promoting Nazi ideology, Mr Dreyfus said in a statement.

However public displays of the Nazi swastika and SS symbols for academic, educational, artistic, literary, journalistic or scientific purpose will be allowed.

The ban was also carefully drafted to exclude the display of the swastika which is of spiritual significance in some religions, Mr Dreyfus said.

The Nazi swastika is derived from an ancient hooked cross motif which remains a sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.

“We have consulted with these communities to ensure nothing in these laws will impinge on the use or display of these symbols in association with those religions,” Mr Dreyfus said.

He added that the legislation did not include the Nazi salute because that could be better tackled at a local level.

“There are state police on the street dealing with street behaviour like this, and we think it’s better dealt with by the state laws,” he said.

Victoria and Queensland earlier this year announced they would ban the Nazi salute.

Dvir Abramovich, from Australia’s Anti-Defamation Commission described the move as “a joyful and profound moment that represents the culmination of a six-year personal campaign to defeat homegrown neo-Nazis who seek to keep Hitler’s legacy alive”.