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Thursday, September 2, 2021
The state government of Victoria, Australia has today announced their intention to introduce a law to ban public displays of Nazi symbols in early 2022, as well as plans to expand the state’s existing anti-vilification laws. Currently, anti-vilification laws in Victoria only cover racial and religious status. In a press release, the state government wrote that they plan to expand these laws to “cover areas such as sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and HIV/AIDS status”. They also intend to “make civil and criminal vilification easier to prove”.
Attorney-General of Victoria Jaclyn Symes said of the planned reforms “all forms of hate are unacceptable and have no place in Victoria – expanding our anti-vilification laws to protect more Victorians sends a clear message that this vile behaviour will not be tolerated.” Victorian Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ros Spence added “Nazi symbols glorify one of the most hateful ideologies in human history. We must confront hate, prevent it, and give it no space to grow.”
In a press release provided to Wikinews, Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dvir Abramovich stated in regards to the banning of Nazi symbols “I never lost faith that this momentous occasion would come to pass. This is a day for the history book, a joyful and profound moment which represents the culmination of a personal campaign that I have spearheaded for the last four years, and I will be lying if I didn’t admit to shedding tears of joy. Above all, this announcement is a resounding triumph for the victims of the Holocaust, the survivors and our brave diggers who died to vanquish the evil Third Reich regime, and a defeat of homegrown neo-Nazis who seek to keep Hitler’s legacy alive.”
Abramovich continued by saying “bravo to the government for rising to the challenge and declaring in a clear and unmistakable voice that the ultimate emblems of inhumanity and racism, that are meant to break our spirit and instil fear, will never find a refuge in our state. The values of democracy, equality and respect are reverberating and ringing loud throughout Victoria and will do so forever. Now Law enforcement will now have the tools they have been asking for and I look forward to attending Parliament in person when this law is passed and to celebrate this milestone.”
The opposition Liberal and National parties welcomed “the Andrews Labor Government’s commitment to ban the Nazi swastika” in a press release, writing “in recent times, Victorians have witness (sic) a deeply concerning rise in the use of the Nazi swastika to strike fear into a range of community groups, including in Beulah, Kyabram, Cranbourne and the Grampians National Park.”
Nazi flags were flown in the regional Victorian towns of Beulah and Kyabram last year. In Cranbourne, a golf club established by the Jewish community was vandalised with swastikas in May 2020, while in the Grampians, a group of approximately 30 neo-Nazis allegedly burnt a cross and were heard shouting “white power” and “heil Hitler” earlier this year.
The Liberal and National press release continued, saying “once this legislation is passed, Victoria will become the first jurisdiction in Australia to have an explicit ban on the ultimate symbol of hate. Today’s commitment is an important step towards a safer, more tolerant future.”
Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs Neil Angus commented on the government’s announcement, saying “the Victorian Liberal Nationals welcome today’s commitment to ban the Nazi swastika. This reform are an important step to ensuring a safer, more tolerate community and demonstrating that intolerance has no place in Victoria.”
Shadow Minister for Police & Crime Prevention David Southwick also stated “today is an important step forward for all those who have been victims of the ultimate symbol of hate – the Nazi Swastika. For too long, frontline police and local communities have been powerless to stop the Nazi swastika being used as a tool to spread hate. More recently we have seen a rise extremist nationalist and racist individuals and groups and this ban will go a long way to take away the symbol that they hide behind.”
Earlier this year in March, a Victorian parliamentary report brought 36 recommendations forward in regards to vilification laws in the state, which included banning the public display of Nazi symbols, and including the laws in the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission’s framework.
It was recommended the commission’s authority in discrimination cases be applied to vilification cases, which ABC News reported would include “the power to compel information and documents”. Additionally, the report also called for an evaluation of maximum punishments in regards to vilification offences, with the aim of giving authorities more reason to prosecute in these cases.