A Nazi flag flying over a home in the Victorian town of Beulah in 2020.
Dvir Abramovich,chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission,said there was a “Nazi swastika epidemic” in Victoria. He welcomed the government’s move to ban the hate symbol and urged the rest of the country to follow suit.
“This is a day for the history books;this is an uplifting and triumphant moment for every Victorian and it’s a thunderous blow to the solar plexus of the neo-Nazi movement,who would love nothing more than people putting people like myself in the gas chambers in the dream of an Australian Hitler and Fourth Reich,” Abramovich said.
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“Having this law in place is in a way a shield,but it’s also a message from the government,from the parliament,we are locking arms with you in this war. This is a war between good and evil,and we have to win this war.”
The new law will only ban the display of the Nazi version of the swastika.Symes said the swastika used by the Buddhist,Hindu and Jain communities was an ancient and sacred symbol of peace and good fortune and would not be outlawed.
She said the government would continue to monitor the display of other Nazi symbols and might consider criminalising them.
Exemptions will also exist for educational and artistic purposes,such as in museums,news reports and educational workshops,and the trading of memorabilia.
The Law Institute of Victoria welcomed the ban but said the legislation fell short of protecting marginalised Victorians from persistent discrimination.
“The current legal framework regarding vilification in Victoria is deficient and does not adequately address the harm suffered by individuals who experience such conduct,” president Tania Wolff said.
“A broader approach to reducing discrimination and the harm it causes is required.”
Daniel Aghion,president of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria,said anti-semitism had risen by 37 per cent since last year across Australia,and the banning of the Nazi symbol would send a strong message to hate groups.
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“We’re not going to stop everything;we can’t stop everything. Some people will do it simply because they are malicious,and the risk of a large fine or the risk of imprisonment may not even stop them,” Aghion said.
“But it is important to lead,and it is important that we educate.”
The NSW government announced last month that it was preparing to criminalise the public display of Nazi symbols. Aghion said he believed Queensland was in the early stages of moving in the same direction.
The introduction of the swastika ban bill to parliament came as David Davis,the opposition’s upper house leader,moved a motion calling on Premier Daniel Andrews to stand aside until the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission handed down its report on Operation Sandon,an investigation into land deals at Casey.The Australian revealed last week that the Premier had been examined in private over the probe.
Davis’ motion was defeated 20 votes to 12.
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