Victorian government to fast-track Nazi salute ban
Legislation banning the Nazi salute in Victoria will be fast-tracked in state parliament, but it will still be months before it comes into effect.
Nazi salutes in Melbourne Photo: James Ross/AAP
Victorian Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes on Monday confirmed the government would expand current legislation banning the Nazi swastika to include the salute.
It comes after National Socialist Movement members repeatedly performed the salute on the steps of the Victorian parliament on Saturday at an anti-transgender rights rally.
Ms Symes described the behaviour as disgraceful and cowardly, noting the salute was being used to incite hatred.
She said the expanded legislation would ensure Victorians feel safe, welcome and included.
“We’ll look at how this can be done carefully, with considered consultation with a variety of groups and will have more to say on the details of this legislation as we undertake that,” Ms Symes said in a statement on Monday.
Those processes could take some time.
Opposition leader John Pesutto said the coalition worked with the government to ban the swastika and would do so again with the latest proposal.
“(The Nazi salute) is as much an incitement of hate and violence as the swastika itself,” Mr Pesutto told reporters on Monday.
“We would not take a different view, having led that process and then work with the government on that.”
Victoria Police would not comment on the proposed changes, nor did it respond to questions on the alleged actions of officers during Saturday’s protest.
Melbourne Activist Legal Support has accused police of discrimination, alleging officers focused their control measures almost exclusively on the pro-trans groups.
There is also video circulating online of a police officer kneeing a person in the head during an arrest.
A Victoria Police spokesperson told AAP there have been no complaints received in relation to that incident.
Police Association of Victoria president Wayne Gatt said the short arrest video lacked context.
“I’m certainly not going to condemn the actions of individual officers who were thrust into quite a volatile melting pot of ideology,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne on Monday.
Mr Gatt said officers also felt ashamed they could not act against those who were performing the Nazi salute.
But Monash University Holocaust expert David Slucki warned the changes would only reduce the presence of Nazi symbolism in public rather than eradicate Nazism altogether.
“These Nazis will continue to target vulnerable groups,” the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation director said in a statement.
“It is incumbent on political and community leaders not to use those groups as political pawns, which only empowers these groups.”
There also needs to be more cautious reporting of such incidents so “tiny” groups of neo-Nazis are not given “outsized megaphones”, Prof Slucki said.
President of The Jewish Community Council of Victoria, Daniel Aghion, told J-Wire: “The actions of Nazi thugs over the weekend have 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.
Josh Burns is the Federal Labor member for Macnamara and Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights. He said: “Not for the first time, the Victorian Government is showing strong leadership against neo-Nazi bigotry.
After becoming the first state to ban the swastika, Victoria will outlaw salutes to the Nazi regime.
This is an important step and similar reform should be considered across the country.”
The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council is also backing the move to ban the salute.
“Unless and until there are consequences for their actions, we can expect neo-Nazis to become more brazen, whic h is both a sobering reality and a reason to act expeditiously,” the council’s Jeremy Jones said.
AAP/J-Wire
