Jan. 8 (UPI) — New laws banning the public performance of the Nazi salute and the display and sale of Nazi symbols in Australia went into effect Monday as the Oceania country attempts to temper anti-Semitism amid Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
“This is the first legislation of its kind and will ensure no one in Australia will be allowed to glorify or profit from acts and symbols that celebrate the Nazis and their evil ideology,” Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement Monday announcing that the laws were in effect.
The Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Prohibited Hate Symbols and Other Measures) Bill passed Australia’s parliament last month, making it a criminal offense punishable with up to 12 months’ imprisonment to display prohibited Nazi symbols or give the Nazi salute.
Prohibited symbols include the Nazi swastika and the Nazi double-sig rune of the Schutzstaffel paramilitary organization.
The bill was passed amid rising instances of anti-Semitism in Australia following the start of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza that began Oct. 7.
Last month, the Executive Council of Australia Jewry, which represents the country’s Jewish community, said it tallied 662 anti-Semitic incidents in October and November, of which only five occurred prior to the start of the war, representing a 738% increase over the same period a year prior.
During the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, there were only 495 anti-Jewish incidents reported across Australia, it said.
“There is no place in Australia for acts and symbols that glorify the horrors of the Holocaust and terrorist acts,” Dreyfus said.
