Victoria to ban Nazi salutes after shocking incident
Attorney General Jaclyn Symes calls actions 'disgusting', 'cowardly'
Community leaders have welcomed news that the Victorian government will seek to ban Nazi salutes after a heinous display on the steps of the state’s parliament on Saturday.
Attorney General Jaclyn Symes told ABC Radio on Monday morning that the behaviour of the National Socialist Alliance members who performed the salute while changing anti-trans slurs “was just disgusting, it was cowardly” and made her feel “a sense of sadness, outrage and disbelief all at once”.
“Victorians have zero tolerance for it and we’ll take active steps to make it illegal, much the same as we did with the Nazi Hakenkreuz … we will act with speed to try and make that happen,” she said.
Jewish Community Council of Victoria president Daniel Aghion said the actions of the neo-Nazi thugs “has shocked the entire Victorian community, not just Jews”.
“We are pleased to see the Victorian Government move to ban the Nazi salute, most likely with bipartisan support. It is an odious symbol of hate,” he said.
Welcoming the Victorian government announcement, ECAJ co-CEO Peter Wertheim added, “But we need something more than a piecemeal approach, and a patchwork of state laws.”
He also noted media reports of attempts by neo-Nazis to join the Australian defence force and state police forces in order to gain access to weapons and training.
“It’s well past time for federal, state and territory governments to co-ordinate their efforts through intelligence sharing, tough uniform legislation, and rigorous police training and enforcement to crack down on this growing menace,” he said.
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council director of community and international Affairs Jeremy Jones also welcomed the announcement.
“Unless and until there are consequences for their actions, we can expect neo-Nazis to become more brazen, which is both a sobering reality and a reason to act expeditiously,” he said.
More in this week’s AJN.
comments