Everything you need to know about the Nazi salute ban

Anyone who displays the Nazi salute in Victoria will be slapped with a massive fine or risk jail time after a new ban takes effect tomorrow. Here’s what it will mean.

The Nazi salute has been officially banned in Victoria after the new law was fast-tracked.

The long-awaited bill was passed by the state’s upper house on Tuesday night with the law coming into effect on Saturday.

It comes as security experts warned that anti-Semitism was soaring across the country as the latest Israel-Palestine conflict unfolds.

Here’s what it means.

What is the new law?

Anyone who displays or performs a Nazi symbol or gesture in public will face penalties.

The law will also cover anything that closely resembles the symbol to ensure those who deliberately try to evade the ban will be captured.

What are the consequences?

Individuals who display or perform the symbol or gesture in public with face penalties of as much as $23,000 or jail terms as long as 12 months.

Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said the new laws would serve as an additional response for police.

A known neo-Nazi has been captured performing the near-banned salute on-board a busy Melbourne train.

Are there exceptions?

Yes, there are exceptions.

If the Nazi symbol or gesture is displayed in good faith for “genuine academic, artistic, educational or scientific purpose”, no penalties will occur.

This includes in the course of publishing a fair and accurate report of any matter that is in public interest.

Has the Nazi salute been used in Victoria recently?

On Tuesday, a baby-faced white supremacist displayed the gesture on a packed Melbourne train.

The young man was aged in his early twenties and opted to go without a face mask unlike fellow National Socialist Network members.

The disturbing image first circulated on an encrypted messaging app used by members of the NSN, fronted by ringleader Thomas Sewell.

Just days before, about 25 neo-Nazis – dressed in black – also performed the salute at Flinders Street Station as they boarded a train.

The group sang “The White Australia song” which included lyrics about defending “the white man’s lands” for “Anglo-Saxon race and Southern Cross”.

Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich Commission said Victoria has become the “neo-Nazi capital” of Australia.

“Something is very wrong in our state and we should be all alarmed by this evil brazen and stomach-churning outrage that will forever be a stain in Melbourne,” he said.

Originally published as Everything you need to know about the Nazi salute ban