Published: 21 March 2023
Last updated: 5 March 2024
The Australian Army is investigating serving soldiers with neo-Nazi links and Victoria is strengthening its anti-vilification laws after a weekend which saw a burst of neo-Nazi activity.
Victoria will strengthen its anti-vilification laws to ban the Nazi salute following the far-Right protest that occurred at Parliament House on Saturday, Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes has confirmed.
“The behaviour we saw on the weekend was disgraceful and cowardly,” Symes said in a statement on Monday.
“It’s clear this symbol is being used to incite hatred not just towards Jewish people but our LGBTIQ+ community and other minority groups.
“Victorians have zero tolerance of this behaviour and so do we. That’s why we’ll expand our nation-leading legislation banning the Nazi hakenkreuz (swastika) to include the Nazi salute – because everyone deserves to feel safe, welcome and included in Victoria.”
The Opposition has committed to supporting the legislation. It is also moving to expel controversial Liberal MP Moira Deeming from the parliamentary party room after she attended Saturday’s rally.
About 30 men from the National Socialist Network performed Nazi salutes on the steps of the Victorian parliament as part of a demonstration opposing transgender rights.
The group clashed with hundreds of demonstrators who were rallying in favour of transgender rights.
The group included white supremacist Thomas Sewell, who was recently convicted of recklessly causing injury in relation to an attack on a security guard and was addressed by by British anti-trans rights campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull.
