Victoria to ban Nazi salute under anti-vilification laws

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• By Avi Yemini

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Victoria will ban the Nazi salute under the state's anti-vilification laws, Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes confirmed today.

The move comes in response to the Let Women Speak protest that took place at Parliament House on Saturday, during which members of the National Socialist Network gatecrashed the event and performed Nazi salutes on the steps of the building.

Symes condemned the behaviour of those involved, stating that the Nazi salute was being used to "incite hatred" towards minority groups, including the Jewish and LGBTIQ+ communities.

"Victorians have zero tolerance of this behaviour and so do we," she said. "That's why we'll expand our nation-leading legislation banning the Nazi Hakenkreuz to include the Nazi salute - because everyone deserves to feel safe, welcome and included in Victoria."

Opposition Leader John Pesutto has already expressed his support for the ban, stating that it was justified as a limitation of free speech.

"I think most sensible, decent people are on the same page here," he said. "What these salutes mean, and what they have the potential to incite, is a very serious thing."

🚨 This is the video John Pesutto DOES NOT want you to see after throwing Moria Deeming under the bus over FALSE Wikipedia allegations that @ThePosieParker is associated with Nazis.

Shame if it went viral.

FULL STORY: https://t.co/FltboigOPK pic.twitter.com/EMRuucLxTu

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) March 20, 2023

Last year, the Andrews government outlawed the Hakenkreuz, or Nazi swastika, becoming the first Australian jurisdiction to do so. Anyone who intentionally displays the Nazi symbol in public faces a year in prison or a $22,000 fine. The ban was the result of recommendations from a cross-party inquiry into anti-vilification laws.

The use of the Nazi salute is already banned in several countries, including Germany, Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and is restricted in Sweden and Switzerland. It is not yet known when the legislation will be brought before parliament in Victoria.