The strength of the response is a clear indication of support against anti-Semitism, reports Michael Visontay

AUSTRALIANS STRONGLY BELIEVE the swastika should be banned, the Crossroads21 survey has found.

A “substantial majority” agreed with the proposition, according to Emeritus Professor Andrew Markus in his analysis of the findings.

This was one of the key findings of the survey of 3459 Australians conducted earlier this year.

In a clear indication of support for action against anti-Semitism, 62% of those surveyed agreed that the Nazi symbol should be banned; 25% neither agreed nor disagreed, while just 12% disagreed.

The finding is consistent with the broader findings of positive sentiment by Australian society towards Jewish people revealed in Crossroads21 (see accompanying article).

The issue has been a source of ongoing debate in Australia after numerous news reports of swastikas displayed across Victoria in 2020.

In March of this year, a Victorian parliamentary inquiry recommended that displaying the swastika should be a criminal offence in Victoria. The Andrews government has yet to announce if and when it will implement the recommendation by the cross-party parliamentary inquiry into anti-vilification laws.

Premier Daniel Andrews said on Wednesday March 3 that the government was open to criminalising Nazi symbols. If so, it would be the first jurisdiction in Australia to impose such a ban.

The inquiry followed the sighting of a Nazi flag flying above a home in Beulah in regional Victoria last year, which the government was powerless to stop under existing laws.

The Jewish Independent has approached the Victorian attorney-General’s office for an indication about when the legislation might be introduced into the parliament, but as yet has not received any indication.