Mount Colah man charged over online Nazi symbols

A 73-year-old man from the northern Sydney suburb of Mount Colah has been charged with four counts of publicly displaying prohibited Nazi symbols online.

The AFP’s National Security Investigations team began investigating in June after receiving a report that allegedly identified an online user publishing prohibited Nazi symbols and antisemitic comments on social media.

Investigators executed a search warrant at a Mount Colah home on Tuesday and seized electronic devices, including a mobile phone and a USB, for forensic examination. The man was charged under section 80.2H of the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment. He was granted conditional bail to appear in Hornsby Local Court on November 11.

The NSI teams were established in October last year by AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett to target groups and individuals causing high levels of harm to Australia’s social cohesion, including the targeting of the Jewish community. Barrett told The Australian this month that the security environment for Jews remained “very volatile”, and that the teams were being expanded to identify and arrest offenders before violence occurs.

Mount Colah sits in the federal seat of Berowra, held by shadow education minister Julian Leeser, who said he would not comment on the specifics of the case. “It is deeply disturbing to learn that a Mount Colah man has been arrested today for displaying Nazi symbols and antisemitic conduct,” Leeser said. “The justice system must be allowed to take its course.

“But I will say this: we do not want Nazis here. These are weak men who have betrayed our country to side with the ideology our grandfathers fought to destroy.

“Australia has had enough of violent extremism. Whether it’s the woke left, the woke right or radical Islam, Australia is sick of it. Enough is enough. We want our country back.”