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Australia
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Australia bans Nazi salutes as antisemitism grows amid Israel-Gaza war

  • The law makes it an offence punishable by up to 12 months in prison to publicly perform the Nazi salute or display the Nazi swastika or SS insignia
  • It also bans the public display or trade in symbols associated with prohibited terror organisations, such as Islamic State or Hamas

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Neo-Nazis in Melbourne perform the Nazi salute at a transgender rights rally in March last year. New laws that came into effect in Australia on Monday make the salute an offence punishable by up to 12 months in prison. Photo: EPA-EFE
Reuters
Laws banning the Nazi salute and the display or sale of symbols associated with terror groups came into effect in Australia on Monday as the government responds to a rise in antisemitic incidents following the Israel-Gaza war.
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The law makes it an offence punishable by up to 12 months in prison to publicly perform the Nazi salute or display the Nazi swastika or the double-sig rune associated with the Schutzstaffel (SS) paramilitary group.

The sale and trade of these symbols is similarly prohibited.

A protest calling for an end to the Israel-Gaza war in Melbourne last month. The new law also bans the public display of symbols associated with Hamas and other prohibited terror organisations. Photo: EPA-EFE
A protest calling for an end to the Israel-Gaza war in Melbourne last month. The new law also bans the public display of symbols associated with Hamas and other prohibited terror organisations. Photo: EPA-EFE

Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement the legislation sent a clear message there was no place in Australia for those who glorify the Holocaust or terrorist acts.

“This is the first legislation of its kind and will ensure no one in Australia will be allowed to glorify or profit from acts and symbols that celebrate the Nazis and their evil ideology.”

Introduced in June and passed in December, the law has taken on new significance amid a surge in antisemitism and Islamophobia following the October 7 attack by Hamas, where some 1,200 were killed and 240 taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.

Unverified footage showing a small group of men outside the iconic Opera house shouting “gas the Jews” during a pro-Palestinian protest in October triggered outrage around the world and a police investigation.

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