“Landmark law”
Australia bans Hitler salutes and Nazi symbols
Hitler salute during Adolf Hitler’s visit to the troops around 1941
© akg-images / Picture Alliance
Hands down Down Under – Australia’s parliament has decided to ban the Hitler salute. Nazi symbols are also no longer allowed to be displayed or sold.
Australian Parliament approves ban on Nazi salutes
The passage of the bill by Parliament in December sent a clear message: There is no place in Australia for actions and symbols that glorify the horrors of the Holocaust, emphasized Dreyfus, calling it a “landmark law.” Parliament in Canberra unanimously approved the new rules on December 6th.
“It is the first law of its kind and will ensure that no one in Australia can glorify or profit from actions and symbols that celebrate the Nazis and their evil ideology,” Dreyfus wrote. It is unacceptable that there were any incidents in the country in which such hate symbols were used.
In 2022, the state of Victoria on the east coast became the first region in the country to ban the public display of the swastika. The regional government then expanded legislation to include the Nazi salute after clashes between transgender rights protesters and neo-Nazis in Melbourne last year.
In Germany, the Hitler salute in all its variations is punishable. Its use can be punished with fines and even imprisonment.