Police Minister Felix Ellis slams Nazi vandalism to Ulverstone office
Police Minister Felix Ellis has slammed a Nazi vandalism attack on his office as “gutless and cowardly”. DETAILS >
Tasmania
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Police Minister Felix Ellis has denounced as “gutless and cowardly” a Nazi vandalism attack on his Ulverstone office
Mr Ellis, whose family fled Eastern Europe to flee Nazi rule, has reported the incident to police and said he would not be intimated.
“Anti-Semitism and radical extremism have no place in our free society, especially in the lead up to the anniversary of the birth of the state of Israel,” he said in a Facebook post.
“Those who would use Nazi symbols in an attempt to intimidate elected members of Parliament and the community are truly a disgrace.
“As many know, members of my family fled their homeland in Eastern Europe to escape Nazi and communist oppression.
“That these hateful ideologies still hold sway among some in our society shows the need for eternal vigilance.
“I won’t be intimidated by thugs and nor should our community.”
The Tasmanian Government last month tabled legislation to outlaw the display of Nazi symbols and ban the Nazi salute.
Penalties include fines and jail time for repeat offenders.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said there was no place in Tasmania for neo-Nazis or their highly offensive conduct.
Mr Ellis remained steadfast in his opposition to extremists.
“Police continue to monitor and combat online radicalisation in the community and we make no apology for our tough stance against radical extremism,” he said.
In his first speech to parliament in 2020, the member for Braddon spoke of his grandfather Albert Lenigas who was born in Lithuania in 1927 and how “his life was torn apart at a very early age by the horrors of war”.
“Lithuania was invaded first by the German National Socialists and later the Russian Communists, and their family was forced to flee.
“He was there in the bombing of Dresden. He was there in a displaced person’s camp just outside of Auschwitz.”
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