Police officer’s Nazi salutes
"The JCCV has spoken with senior police and is reassured that a full investigation is underway," says JCCV president Philip Zajac.
Jewish leaders have expressed shock over allegations a veteran Victorian police officer gave a Nazi salute on multiple occasions and exclaimed “Heil Hitler”.
The 65-year-old female sergeant, who has been with Victoria Police for more than 40 years and was an instructor at the Centre for Family Violence for the past six years, was suspended with pay and interviewed by the police Professional Standards Command unit. The public display of Nazi symbols and gestures is prohibited in Victoria, other states and the ACT.
Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) president Philip Zajac said the Jewish roof body, “was shocked to learn that a veteran police sergeant was allegedly performing Nazi salutes on a number of occasions at work”.
“The JCCV has spoken with senior police and is reassured that a full investigation is underway, with the possibility of criminal charges being laid. The JCCV will not stop working to combat antisemitism and all forms of hate, regardless of where they occur and by whom.”
The Police Association in Victoria stated it “has consistently condemned this offensive gesture and urged the government to toughen legislation and penalties against those who perform it.”
A state government spokesperson stated, “These acts have no place in Victoria.”Last week, Jacob Hersant, 25, a self-described neo-Nazi, became the first person found guilty of performing the Nazi salute in Victoria since the new laws. Hersant was videoed making the salute and exclaiming “Australia for the white man, Heil Hitler” outside the County Court last year.
Meanwhile, the JCCV has voiced deep concern over a white supremacist rally held in the NSW Murray River town of Corowa on Saturday. The group of 50 balaclava-clad demonstrators, led by right-wing extremist Thomas Sewell, gathered beneath a sign proclaiming “white man fight back”, with Sewell alleging foreign interests acquired local businesses so they could sack employees and “import cheap labour from the Third World to replace them”.
“This small group of attention-seekers have been rightly condemned and told they are not welcome anywhere, not in big cities nor in smaller towns,” said Zajac.
“Their attempts to intimidate from behind their black balaclavas will not succeed. Australia is proudly multicultural and, as one local councillor told media, the town of Corowa is proud to welcome people from different cultures.”
The border-town gathering was condemned by NSW Premier Chris Minns, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, the local federal MP.
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